Search - Charlie Haden, Geri Allen, Paul Motian :: Montreal Tapes

A typical charlie haden trio: great music

p dizzle | augusta, georgia, USA | 01/07/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"this collection finds mr. haden working in a trio partnered with two excellent musicians. geri allen is pianist known for working on the edge between mainstream and avant garde. paul motian has worked with great pianists, including a significant stint with bill evans. mr. haden's resume is legendary. here, these three great talents get together on an eclectic but hardly hodge-podge set. "blues in motian" opens things with a groove. ms. allen plays and skips along with it, sounding at times monkish, but also purely as herself, never losing the swing. "fiasco" is a free jazz burst. ms. allen shows she's not afriad to play out, and mr.haden responds to her solo with some terrific free bass, exploring a collage of sounds with both bow and fingers. mr. motian adds his own thoughts in a great end to the piece."dolphy's dance" is a fitting tribute to the late reedman, and reminds us that mr. dolphy could also inspire great beauty as well as pushing limits, a very nice ballad. these are just some highlights. throughout the trio is tight and tuned into one another providing great interplay without ever seeming like a battle of egoes. in short, it's what we've come to expect from any group mr. haden is a part of. highly recommended."