Paul Motian Trio - I Have The Room Above Her

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Anybody heard this one yet?

[Frank Kimbrough]

I got it on Tuesday, and have had a chance to listen a couple of times. Motian wrote several (I think seven) new tunes for this one, and they play a couple of his older tunes as well, including "Dance". The title track is the standard by Jerome Kern. Everyone's in fine form and it's beautiful - I can't wait to listen more closely. It was recorded by James Farber at Avatar in a one-day session, and those who shy away from the sometimes overly ambient ECM sound have nothing to fear, at least from my point of view. I hope they'll play the Vanguard soon, as that's about the closest thing to heaven I can imagine. ECM has been keeping Motian busy of late - he's on a trio date with Bobo Stenson and Anders Jormin that should come out later this year, and I he also plays on an upcoming Enrico Rava release.

[ormsbop]

Thanks for the review. I'm really interested in this. It also had a good review in the Boston Phoenix.

[Tom Storer]

I saw that trio a few times and always loved it, although the records didn't always do it for me. Since then I kind of went off Bill Frisell. I'll be interested to hear what they're up to in the new one.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

First impression is that this is a very strong album. Although I've admired Lovano, this is the first time I've really dug his playing. I played this as background music for working on my choreography and found myself distracted (in a good way) numerous times by unexpected turns or beautiful moments in the music. I need to give a more focused listen next time, but I'm primed for it now!

[Capt.W./TX.]

On one site where I first learned of this CD they said the actual release date wasn't until March 1.

How'd y'all score so soon?

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

My local Borders had it in stock. Amazon seems to be selling it now, too.

It's my pick for record of the year so far. Highly recommended.


Some scattershot impressions:

Motian's new compositions are sterling! They have the straightfoward narrative beauty of folk melodies, and lend themselves to some inspired improvisations.

The trio is very tight, and the two- and three-player interplay throughout the album is mesmerizing. Frisell and Lovano sound incredibly good together, and in dozens of different ways! Fascinating layers of sounds, with remarkable and striking textures emerging throughout the album.

Motian's drumming is extraordinary, and serves to fragment and shatter the music as frequently as it drives and propels the music. As huge as Frisell and Lovano are on this, it's clearly the drummer's album.

The album opens with a number of beautiful, ballad-like sketches, with the more energetic and edgier pieces stacked toward the end of the album.

[ribot_for_president]

On one site where I first learned of this CD they said the actual release date wasn't until March 1.

Must be some kind of misprint bc its on the shelves everywhere. I grabbed a copy at the downtown Tower on Monday (on sale for $13.99), along with the new Motian Electric Be Bop Band w/ Kenny Garrett release. Plan to spend today with both of them.

[BrianL1]

Did you mean a Paul Motian EBBB re-release? ? Didn't think there was one with Kenny Garrett though.

There's supposed to be a new EBBB on ECM later this year. Did not think that one was out yet.

[ribot_for_president]

I mispoke, Josh Redman, not Garrett. I guess it is a re-release, originally released in 93. I like it a lot, can't wait for the studio set.

[me wag]

Frank, I don't know if it's "soon" but the ECM website says the trio is booked for almost the whole month of September at the Vanguard.

My first listen to the new CD was about a week ago and it wasn't 5 seconds into the first song, Osmosis Part III, and I was already under their spell. Amazing.

[JamesH]

I'll probably buy this one.

But I must admit I was a little dissapointed with Lovano's previous effort. I believe it's called "I'm All for You". His tenor playing seems affected, like he's trying to sound extra warm and romantic. It doesn't sound like that's his natural vibe. Still it's pretty good.

[BlueMiles]

Yeah, I was expecting a lot more from "I'm All for You." Lovano is normally great on the old standards. Thinks of his gorgeous and intense reading of "Portrait of Jennie" on "From the Soul"--as well as his duo reading of "Body and Soul" from the same. But not much happening on last year's album, even with the splendid Mr. Motian on board. The best thing on the record is the playing of Hank Jones.

[SEJ]

An excellent outing, but I expect that from this group.

Originally Posted by Frank Kimbrough

I hope they'll play the Vanguard soon, as that's about the closest thing to heaven I can imagine.

Check the ECM web site - they're playing a twelve day stand at the Vanguard in September.

Originally Posted by Frank Kimbrough

ECM has been keeping Motian busy of late - he's on a trio date with Bobo Stenson and Anders Jormin that should come out later this year,

Now that's the closest thing to heaven I can imagine. (Well, truth be told, I'd rather Bobo play with Jon Christensen, but I'm not complaining.)

Originally Posted by Frank Kimbrough

and he also plays on an upcoming Enrico Rava release.

It's gonna be a good year.

[ormsbop]

I just got this today. My first impression: Very mellow. It has some lovely tunes and sensitive interplay between Lovano and Frisell and everything mentioned above but still didn't seem like much was happening until track 7.

I realize it's ECM and Motian is not a real flashy player but the drums are hardly perceptable until that point. Maybe it's me but I'd think as a leader he would have done a little more. His writing is good though.

But WTFDIK..

[Capt.W./TX.]

Just got it; am on my second playing. I'm an avid fan of this trio-maybe one day I'll get to hear them live. It's especially gratifying to me that Lovano and
Frisell, both of whom have full-time high-profile careers as leaders, continue to make time in their schedules for this project-after nearly two decades.

Based on my listening so far, I'd have rate this one up there with "Motian In Tokyo" and "Sounds Of Love". However, two others I have-"One Time Out" (on Soul Note) and "It Should Have Happened A Long Time Ago" (on ECM) are also worth hearing. In other words, just plain, flat-out exceptional!

I'm particularly fascinated by two aspects of this trio:

1.) how quickly my ears and mind adjusted to the instrumentation (i.e. I don't miss the bass player); Frisell's "wall of sound" makes a unique-and more than adequate-sonic backdrop for the other two (the mix here deliberately emphasizes the lower frequencies of Frisell's set-up), and
2.) this trio's approach to ballads and slower-tempo mood pieces; the group's 'rubato' was established back in the 80's (yes, they've been playing off and on for that long!) and "I Have The Room Above Her" shows that they've reached a new plateau with this approach.

The 'energy' pieces-"Dance" & "One In Three" are no less effective.

When Motian was working with Keith Jarrett back in the 70's he developed
his 'propulsion without countable time' approach (check out "If The Misfits, Wear It" on Jarrett's "Fort Yaweh" album). Sunny Murray is the only other drummer in jazz I can think of who does this as effectively as Motian.

For me, Motian/Frisell/Lovano is, in some ways, a further development of
Jimmy Giuffre's trios-particularly the 1958 edition with Bob Brookmeyer and Jim Hall and the early 60's edition with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow. There was-and is-an amazing amount of close musical interplay (and 'freedom') in those trios that placed them a few orbits above and beyond most 'trio jazz' as we've come to know it.

Finally: Motian is one of the few drummers in jazz-along with Art Blakey, Shelly Manne and Chico Hamilton-whose style is so individual and inimitable that he gives any group a signature sound. You never have to guess who the drummer is-you know immediately!

[Rachel G]

up, now that Time and Time Again is out (in Europe, anyway)