Motian/ Frisell/ Lovano Trio

[LWayne]

Last week I was traveling through New York on business during a hectic week owing to the traffic caused by fashion week and the US Open in town. Nevertheless, I journeyed to Mecca (also known as the Village Vanguard) to catch an eagerly anticipated set by the Paul Motian/ Bill Frisell/ Joe Lovano trio.

As if the pilgrimage itself was not enough, the show was unbelievable! This is a tight group of musicians who obviously enjoy playing together and it certainly shows. We caught the first set on Tuesday night; which was "opening night" on what has become an annual two week residency by this group. Although it was only the first night, the group was already tight and familiar. As expected, they played a killer set- demonstrating how much their music has evolved and grown over 20 plus years of playing together.

The opener was "Cambodia", one of my favorite songs from their recent "Time and Time Again" CD on ECM. This song played live is the perfect representation of how their sound has evolved and capably demonstrates what makes them such a great group- from Joe Lovano's signature muscular tone on sax, to Bill Frisell's pyrotechnics on delays and effects on his guitar gear box; all ably fueled by the unparalleled timekeeping of Paul Motian. Motian seems to weave inside and outside the beat, depending on the particular song, but he never fails to provide the perfect accent and accompaniment.

The song list for the rest of the first set included, among others; Monk's "Light Blue", "Jack of Clubs", "More Than You Know", "This Nearly Was Mine", and "Party Line" All songs were rendered impeccably.

This night was truly special and was definitely one of the top concerts of this or any other year.

Unforgettable!

Catch them while you can...

LWayne

Edited September 12, 2007 by LWayne

[skeith]

I have seen this band many times but may miss this gig. I love them and sounds like you saw a great show!

[7/4]

Same here, I saw them the last two years, but I can't go this time. Great show.