Lebroba cover
Released

This astonishing trio encounter states its core principles up front. The opening track, “Worried Woman,” is a kind of ambient blues, Bill Frisell’s guitar biting delicately into the air as Wadada Leo Smith’s piercing, heartfelt trumpet spins variations on the simple theme and Andrew Cyrille, the nominal leader, supports the other two as only he can. His drumming is often called minimal, but what it really is is precise: even during his years with Cecil Taylor, there was never a wasted gesture. He added exactly what the music needed, and nothing more. He does the same here, tapping the snare insistently and punctuating with gentle cymbal strikes, occasionally bouncing across the toms. There’s barely any sense of time passing, never mind time-keeping; the blues are eternal, an ever-flowing river that these three men dip into for 40 minutes or so, then keep walking.

Phil Freeman

Suggestions
EarthSeed cover

EarthSeed

Lisa E. Harris, Nicole Mitchell
Frances the Mute cover

Frances the Mute

The Mars Volta
Perfection cover

Perfection

Murray, Allen & Carrington Power Trio
People in Sorrow cover

People in Sorrow

Art Ensemble of Chicago
Way of the Cairns cover

Way of the Cairns

Patrick Cornelius
Crystals cover

Crystals

Sam Rivers
Live Volume V cover

Live Volume V

Fred Anderson
+/- cover

+/-

Ryoji Ikeda
Codona 3 cover

Codona 3

Collin Walcott, Codona, Naná Vasconcelos, Don Cherry