Search - Trio Beyond, Jack Dejohnette, Larry Goldings :: Saudades

Smoking drums+guitar+keys trio by 3 masters

rbt_austin | Austin, TX USA | 09/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this disc up tonight and am so happy about it. Scofield is one of my favorite guitarists, and his work on this release is fabulous. Of course Jack DeJohnette is one of the best drummers alive at this point in time, and Larry Goldings plays excellent hammond b3 and electric piano. The track listings above are not accurate, but that shouldn't matter - any fan of Lifetime, any of the 3 musicians, or jazz music in general would be happy with this release!"

Sounds a Bit Tired, Actually

Karl W. Nehring | Ostrander, OH USA | 07/08/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Trio Beyond consists of Jack Dejohnette (drums), Larry Goldings (Hammond organ and electric piano), and John Scofield (guitar). They are recorded in a live set that was meant to pay tribute to the late Tony Williams, whose trio, Emergency, which featured Larry Young on organ and John McLaughlin on guitar, was a blast of elemental energy back in the day when fusion music was new and exciting stuff.



There is plenty of elemental energy at work here, too; unfortunately, it no longer sounds new and exciting. To these ears, the whole thing sounds a bit tired, with Scofield's guitar work being the main culprit. Amazingly, Saudades got something like 4½ stars in Downbeat, with Scofield garnering the lion's share of the praise. For those who value the opinion of Downbeat above the opinion of a deadbeat, it's time to beat feet to the record store.



I really like all three of these musicians, and had high hopes for this release, but after listening to it over and over again, I just can't get into it. Many of you jazz fans will, though, so I at least want to point out that it is available, and it is valuable to have a live recording of three great musicians paying tribute to the musical forebears. Perhaps I should say that this is a really great recording of really energetic jazz that is just simply not my cup of tea--but you may very well love it. Listen and decide for yourself--then beat those feet, daddy, four to the bar."

The Tony Williams Project

Scott Williams | Oakland, CA United States | 12/20/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I saw this group and this show live at Yoshis several years ago it was titled "The Tony Williams Project", which identifies the theme of the album. Jack, Larry, and John pay homage to the work Tony Williams did as leader. For the most part they stick to songs written by Tony Wiliams, or songs that Tony's group typically played. Jack really sounds a lot like Tony on the album by playing primarily light, soft, pulsing rhythms with a lot cymbal play. Larry Goldings sounds a lot like Larry Young on this performance. The jazz organ here is more of an explorative, post bop noodling sound, and not a soul jazz or funk sound. It is very similar to the style pioneered by Larry Young. John Scofield also doesn't sound quite like himself here. Unfortunately I don't have a great comparison for his sound, but it has fragments of his usual tone, but in a more subdued meandering style. One thing I don't really recall hearing in Scofield's playing that you hear a lot of on this album is some killer note bending with effects. At times it sounds haunting and it really hits the mark. Overall the tone and sound of the album bears a lot in resemblence to Larry Young's Unity and late Miles Davis work circa 67-68 (only without horns). The mood is very laid back and meandering with a lot of space for soloing. The songs are a bit long but they are filled with great solos. A great live show, and good album, but not a 5 star album.



Song Highlights:

Saudades: This original written by the group is my favorite song on the album. It's got a great groove, its exciting and it features killer solos throughout. If there was more like this on the album this would have been 5 stars for sure (but then it wouldn't really be a Tony Williams homage album).



If: I've never really been a fan of this Joe Henderson song, but I really like this version. There is a lot of energy and great soloing. I think this version is modeled after the version played on Larry Young's Unity album.



Big Nick: A fresh take on a John Coltrane song. I haven't heard too many versions of this song, so this was new and fresh for me. The 5 minute Dejohnette drum solo is a little bit much though.



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