Stephen McQuarry (pno); Ted Burik (bs); Greg German (dms).(Review by Lance).
Another fine piano trio. This time all originals - or are they? Well, yes they are although some tracks do paint a portrait of an individual.
Blues For Jack is very much Monk orientated although John McLaughlin is quoted as being the main influence. Not a bad combination to work around! Azure is is a lovely flowing piece with no one in mind save the pianist himself whose original and complex chord progressions present a worthwhile challenge to both player and listener. Lunar, the liner notes tell me, uses the compositional technique of inverted melody and chord changes based on the tune Solar.
Little Brown House, Sunday Afternoon and Azadeh are tributes, respectively, to Tadd Dameron, Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock albeit with McQuarry's own stamp - I don't think the subjects would object even though the Evans feature manages to bring Giant Steps into the equation!
After the sensitive A View From My Heart comes You Never Know - a boppish Charlie Parker type theme. 34 Miles Away is inspired by Joe Zawinal's 74 miles Away. The trick here is that Zawinal's was in 7/4 whereas McQuarry's is in 3/4. Lydia is a piece in the Lydian Mode (someone remind me what that is) and is inspired by Clare Fischer.
It's a good album with fine piano playing, excellent bass and sympathetic drums. Didn't quite hit me the way the Mike Jones Trio did but still well worth checking out.
Stephen McQuarry Trio - Azure is currently available on Mandala Records MR104.
Lance
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