Top 10 Trio Recordings

[Jason G]

Current favorites

[And before I get stoned to death, Waltz for Debby and Corea's NHSNHS will be ordered soon. From the reviews I've seen, these are must haves. Hmmm...what'll get bumped?]

DKV - Wels & Chicago

Gene harris and The 3 Sounds - Live at The It Club

Parker/GuyLytton - At The Vortex

Dunmall/Adams/Sanders - Ghostly Thoughts

Brotzmann - Nefertiti

Fred Anderson - On The Run

Metheny - Trio Live

Heeion/Wilkinson/Fell - Foom! Foom!

Corea Akoustic Band - Live From The Tokyo Blue Note

Roy Campbell - Ethnic Stew and Brew

Yours???

[Vince Kargatis]

I'll throw on:

What We Live (eponymous) (DIW)
Gustafsson/Guy/Lovens - MOUTH EATING TREES... (Okka)
Doneda/Rogers/Le Quan - OPEN PAPER TREE (FMP)

There are some way obvious classics - the Monk trios, Herbie Nichols, Sonny Rollins, etc

[Pete C]

Some random favorites:

Sclavis/Texier/Romano - Suite Africaine
Sonny Rollins - Way Out West
Dewey Redman - Tarik
Giuffre/Bley/Swallow - Emphasis, Stuttgart
Ornette Coleman - Golden Circle, v. 1
Lester Young Trio (with Nat Cole & Buddy Rich)
Steve Kuhn/Miroslav Vitous/Aldo Romano - Oceans in the Sky
Bley/Peacock/Motian - Not Two, Not One
Bill Evans - Turn Out The Stars box
Mal Waldron - A Little Bit of Miles (original title of the album that is the second half of the cd release of Blues for Lady Day)

Plenty of other piano trios, but I'll leave it at that.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Collin Walcott/ Don Cherry/ Nana Vasconcelos -- Codona

Bley/ Parker/ Phillips -- Time Will Tell

Cyrille/ Dresser/ Ehrlich -- C/D/E

[SinginSumo]

Off the top...


Oscar Peterson Trio - The Sound of the Trio (among many of those Verve sides from the early 60's)

Tete Montoliu w/ NHOP - pick one from many

Ahmad Jamal - The Awakening

Chick Corea - Now He Sings, Now He Sobs

Keith Jarrett - pick one of many

McCoy Tyner - pick one from many

Bill Evans - pick one of many

Chucho Valdes - pick one from his Blue Note recordings

[michaelr]

Air - Air Time

AMM - Laminal (disc 2)

Bailey/Guy/Rutherford - Iskra 1903

Brötzmann/van Hove/Bennink - Balls

Brötzmann/Miller/Moholo - The nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat

Butcher/Durrant/Russell - Concert Moves

Günter Christmann/Paul Lovens/Maarten Altena - Weavers

Guy/Riley/Wachsmann - Improvisations are forever now

Steve Noble/John Edwards/Alex Ward - False face society

Taylor/Lyons/Murray - Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come

[Tanager]

Originally posted by Jason G
[And before I get stoned to death, Waltz for Debby and Corea's NHSNHS will be ordered soon. From the reviews I've seen, these are must haves. Hmmm...what'll get bumped?]

Sorry, too late. Let the stoning begin!

(While you're getting WFD, get Sunday at the Village Vanguard, the companion release, too, in case you don't have that.)

It's tough to pull out a short list, b/c there have been so many truly great ones, but here are a few which I continually listen to and enjoy:

McCoy Tyner - Inception
Michel Petrucciani - Plays Petrucciani (There are non-trio tracks, but the majority of the disk is trio format.)
Chick Corea - Past, Present, and Futures (Avishai Cohen and Jeff Ballard, hot damn)
Tal Farlow - Tal

[achilles]

Lee Konitz--Motion

Fred Anderson--On the Run

[Dr Dave]

1. An Evening With Joe Henderson, Charlie Haden, and Al Foster ("Beatrice" says it all)

2. Emergency! Tony Williams Lifetime with Larry Young and John McLaughlin.

3. Codona. Absolutely.

4. From Day To Day. Mulgrew Miller with Robert Hurst and Kenny Washington

5. Wisteria. Jimmy Raney with George Mraz and Tommy Flanagan

6. A Night At The Village Vanguard. Sonny Rollins with Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones/Pete LaRoca and Donald Bailey.

7. Red Norvo Trio. With Tal Farlow and Charles Mingus. Strange but true.

8. Scratch. Kenny Barron with Dave Holland and Daniel Jumair.

9. "Chasin' the Trane" from John Coltrane Live At The Village Vanguard. John Coltrane with Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones; Tyner lays out. Possibly the most emotionally direct music ever recorded.

10. Air Lore. Henry Threadgill, Fred Hopkins, and Steve McCall. Wow!

[Scott Dolan]

Jarrett/Peacock/Motian - At The Deerhead Inn(though I'm with Sumo, too many great ones)

Albert Ayler Trio - Spiritual Unity

Sonny Rollins - A Night At The Village Vanguard

Gayle/Parker/Ali - Touchin On Trane

Jarrett/Peacock/Dejohnette - Whisper Not; Standards In Norway; Live in Tokyo

Ornette Coleman - Golden Circle Vols. 1 & 2

DKV Trio - Live At Wels

Bar Kohkba Trio - Bar Kohkba

William Parker - Painters Spring

[gnhrtg]

I'll edit and add when and as I recall

Brad Mehldau Trio- Live at the V.V (so Art of the Trio Vol 2, 4, or 5; any will do)
DKV Trio - Live at Wels and Chicago
Kenny Garrett - Triology
Sonny Rollins - Live at V.V
Clusone Trio - either the first, on Ramboy, or the last album
Eskelin/Parkins/Black - Kulak 29 & 30
Jarrett/Peacock/DeJohnette - Whisper Not (or the one with Bye Bye Blackbird)

3 to go

[iblacksmith]

"Money Jungle" - Duke Ellington, Max Roach & Charles Mingus
Should be on the list somewhere.

[Al in NYC]

May 1, 1951, Bud Powell, Curly Russell, Max Roach.

[stonemonkts]

Originally posted by iblacksmith
"Money Jungle" - Duke Ellington, Max Roach & Charles Mingus
Should be on the list somewhere.

I've always felt this a highly overrated recording, a mediocre session at best. It doesn't have that certain synchronicity (for lack of a better term) which I believe all trios should have in abundance. Wasn't Mingus pissed off about something too?

Not trying to offend anyone or their preferences, but merely stating my own highly subjective opinion.

On the subject of recordings I believe wildly overrated, I can throw in Ellington at Newport (1956) and (GASP) Jazz at Massey Hall. Money Jungle and Massey Hall are probably adored more due to the names than anything else. I could be wrong.

[Pete C]

I'm in definite agreement about Ellington @ Newport, & probable agrement about Money Jungle, but I can't aggree with you on Massey Hall--even if all concerned have done better, especially Bud.

[Sergio Zamora]

Too many trios for one thread. If I were in a thread-startin' mood, I'd start one for different common instrumentations (reeds/bass/drum, piano/bass/drum, piano/reed/bass, etc) and 'misc'. But I'm not, so I won't.

Sam Rivers Trio Live
Parker/Guy/Lytton - At the Vortex, et al
Thomas Chapin Trio - Sky Piece
Paul Bley - Not One, Not Two
Eskelin/Parkins/Black - any of the Hats, but especially Kulak...
CoDoNa - all of'em
AMM - All of 'em, but especially Newfoundland
Sonny Rollins - Live at the VV and Way Out West
Cecil - Nefertiti: the beautiful one has come
DKV - Live Wels/Chicago


Subject to change minutely.

[Pete C]

Here's one we've all missed so far:

Lyons/Murray/Lindberg - Jump Up

[ADR]

Albert Ayler - "Spiritual Unity"
Chick Corea - "Now He Sings, Now He Sobs"
DKV Trio - "Live at Wels and Chicago"
Bill Evans - "Sunday at the Village Vanguard" and "Waltz for Debby"
Jimmy Giuffre - "Emphasis Stuttgart, 1961"
Joe Henderson - "The State of the Tenor"
Keith Jarrett - "The Complete Live at the Blue Note"
David Murray - "The Hill"
Herbie Nichols - "The Complete Blue Note Recordings"
Sonny Rollins - "A Night at the Village Vanguard Vol.s I & II"

Honorable Mention:

Paul Bley - "Bebop"
Ornette Coleman - "At the Golden Circle Vol.s I & II"
Ellery Eskelin - "Kulak 29 & 30"
Joe Lovano - "Trio Fascination"
Cecil Taylor - "Nefertiti: The Beautiful One Has Come"


ADR

[Other Steve]

Everyone already nabbed several of my favorites, particularly Spiritual Unity, Nefertiti and the Parker and Eskelin groups. And, as Vince said, certain things like Monk, Nichols and Rollins (to which I'll add Tatum and Evans) just seem too sui generis to warrant comparisons and listings.

That said, here are a dozen favorites of mine that seem to have slipped through the cracks (and I could have listed many, many more...):

Tim Berne (Paraphrase) - Visitation Rites
Anthony Braxton - Seven Compositions (Trio) 1989
Nels Cline Trio - Chest
Tommy Flanagan - Sunset and the Mockingbird
Steve Lacy - The Holy La
Raphe Malik/Cecil McBee/Cody Moffett - Storyline
Brad Mehldau - Songs: The Art of the Trio, Vol. 3 (Why'd you omit this one, gnhrtg?)
Miniature (Berne/Roberts/Baron) - I Can't Put My Finger On It
Paul Motian Trio - At the Village Vanguard
Power Tools (Frisell/Gibbs/Jackson) - Strange Meeting
Cecil Taylor - Looking (Berlin Version): The Feel Trio
John Zorn/George Lewis/Bill Frisell - News for Lulu

Try as I might, I just can't omit any of these. Honorable mention goes to the Clusone, Ganelin and Schlippenbach Trios, Mark Helias's Open Loose (both versions) and McPhee's Trinity and Trio X. And if Fred Hersch's trio with Drew Gress and Tom Rainey had ever been documented live, chances are good that he would have slipped in here. No offense to Nasheet, but this trio just killed on a good night, of which there were many.

[michaelr]

Another one that seemed to slip through the cracks is the Giuffre/Bley/Swallow trio. I guess I would have to pick "Free Fall" for them.

[Sergio Zamora]

Oh, and Big Satan

[john williams]

Most of the best ones have been taken

Ganelin trio - Ancora De Capo & Catalogue

[Other Steve]

Originally posted by Sergio Zamora
Oh, and Big Satan
I've loved Big Satan the few times I've heard them live, but I have to confess I'm less than overwhelmed by the CD. I keep hoping they'll get the chance to make another.

[gnhrtg]

Other Steve - Indeed, I've enjoyed all of Mehldau's trio albums, but somehow I tend always tend to favor live albums given a choice. Here there was a choice and that's why I listed the live at V.V. albums. Among his studio albums Volume 3 is my favorite by far and now that you've mentioned it, I think I will give it a good spin or two.

I also like, as a legitimate 8th addition to my list:

Thelonious Monk - the Prestige album (with 2, or maybe 3, partially different trios and 2 solo cuts if memory serves)

[stonemonkts]

Not to be overlooked, the Eskelin/Parker/Black recording "Five Other Pieces (+2)" which I cannot rave enough about...this CD really does it for me, hits the mark in all aspects.

Brilliant and beautiful.

Others already mentioned most of my other favorites.

[Other Steve]

Originally posted by gnhrtg
Other Steve - Indeed, I've enjoyed all of Mehldau's trio albums, but somehow I tend always tend to favor live albums given a choice. Here there was a choice and that's why I listed the live at V.V. albums.
After I posted my question, I went back and looked more closely and realized that you had explicitly stated your preference for the live sets, thus your recommendations. I should have gone back and edited my query once I figured that out. But if I've convinced you go back to listen to Vol. 3 again, I'm not sorry!

I agree that the live albums have a hypnotic intensity about them (something even more clear when you actually catch the band live), but it's the choice of material on Songs -- "River Man," "Exit Music (for a Film)," "Sehnsucht" and my favorite-ever "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" -- that keeps me coming back to it most often.

[bluenoter]

I've always felt [Money Jungle] a highly overrated recording, a mediocre session at best. . . .

On the subject of recordings I believe wildly overrated, I can throw in Ellington at Newport (1956) and (GASP) Jazz at Massey Hall. Money Jungle and Massey Hall are probably adored more due to the names than anything else. I could be wrong.

Originally posted by Pete C
I'm in definite agreement about Ellington @ Newport, & probable agrement about Money Jungle
Pete, does that mean that if you ever heard Money Jungle, you'd probably agree? If so, that assumption could cost you a lot of enjoyment, IMO.

Also IMO: Money Jungle is manifestly wonderful. I'm enough of a jazz beginner to have heard few trio dates--I still seek out albums with horns, especially reeds, and feel vaguely cheated if they're absent (a terrible admission). But Money Jungle knocks me on the ground and seems abundant and complete.

[Pete C]

Originally posted by bluenoter
Pete, does that mean that if you ever heard Money Jungle, you'd probably agree? If so, that assumption could cost you a lot of enjoyment, IMO.

No, I've been familiar with it for years, and I like it OK, but I lean toward agreeing that it's not that great. The piano trio is one of my favorite modes.

[Other Steve]

Though I'm sticking with the dozen I listed previously, I just have to give major props to two excellent trios from my recent "What Are You Listening To?" posts:

Marc Ducret - l'ombra di verdi - unquestionably his finest session as leader.
Nels Cline Singers - Instrumentals - though I have a real soft spot for Chest by his earlier trio, this is in most ways an even better performance, all told.

[Jason Bivins]

Very very tough list to make. So given that, as OZ said, this is subject to change momentarily . . .

Air - Air Time

AMM - buncha stuff but if I had to pick one, right now it'd be "Newfoundland"

Albert Ayler - Spiritual Unity

Nels Cline - Chest (for roughly the same reasons Steve cited, though Instrumentals is wonderful)

Bill Evans - the Village Vanguard sessions from '61

Giuffre/Bley/Swallow - Free Fall

Lacy - N.Y. Capers or The Holy La

Parker/Guy/Lytton - At the Vortex

Cecil Taylor - Nefertiti

Tony Williams Lifetime - Emergency!

Honorable mentions: Oliver Lake "Zaki," Sam Rivers "Trio Live," Sonny Rollins "Night at the Village Vanguard," Herbie Nichols Blue Note Recordings, Paul Motian Trio "At the Village Vanguard," Leimgruber/Leandre/Hauser "No Try No Fail," buncha Monk, Mengelberg's "Who's Bridge," Schlippenbach Trio's "Elf Bagatellen," Such "The Issue at Hand," Clusone 3 "Love Henry," Crispell/Guy/Lytton "Odyssey," Dave Douglas "Constellations," Ellery Eskelin's hatology series, Marty Ehrlich's "Emergency Peace," Paul Bley "Not Two Not One," Braxton's "7 Trio Compositions 1989," Lindberg's "Give and Take," Lyons' "Jump Up," Berne's Paraphrase group, Ducret's "L'Ombra di Verdi" (the first track is savage!). Et-fucking-cetera.

Clearly I'm fudging majorly with the honorable mentions. Best to think of this as a vast pool of players who can fill in for a demoted Top 10 candidate.