Album Review: Dave Bass – Trio Nuevo Vol. 3 (Tiger Turn)

Dave Bass (piano); Tyler Miles (double bass); Steve Helfand (drums)

For the third consecutive year, pianist and composer, Dave Bass has released a trio album. This one – the second featuring bassist Tyler Miles and drummer Steve Helfand - is comprised of Bass originals with some of them ingeniously constructed as contrafacts. It is an interesting compilation in which the trio, by way of Bass’s pen and keys, engages Bach, Brazil, Disney and even Juan Tizol. The result is an exhibition of boundless energy, significant communication and interplay, and stellar improvisation.

Neither Have I Wings opens things with a Bass piano solo exploration before bass and drums enter in creating a bossa-like texture. Toccata fuses original material with segments of Bach’s Fugue No. 3. Tyler Miles arco bass sings and Bass launches the fugue section in a dizzying contrapuntal dance with Miles and Helfand. It’s a splendid track. A herky-jerky intro launches Fingerprints/Gantry, a funkish, multi-metered mash that’s a contrafact of Wayne Shorter’s Footprints combined with a gospel-inspired second segment counterpart, referencing the Sinclair Lewis book and later film. Rhythmically intense and dark with plenty of call and response stylings, it is an intriguing cut.

Diving into the Disney song book, When You Wish Upon a Star is a layered gem. Bass incorporates reharmonized segments while respecting the original progressions – something that some performers unfortunately get greedy about, drifting far away from the iconic tune. Black Swan, a Bass original and not to be confused with the eponymous 2010 movie, integrates his lines with Tchaikovsky’s in a slick Latin groove. Miles delivers a fine solo here. Thelonious Monk’s Work, rarely recorded, is a quirky melody that swings as it lumbers. The goings on with Miles’ bass, Helfand’s brushes and Bass’s keys is kaleidoscopic. It is a highlight track.

Try a Little Tenderness has been recorded by many. The take here is slow, as expected, with drummer Helfand active over Bass’s more sedate take. Lost Mambo is a contrafact take on the Juan Tizol classic, Perdido. It is rendered in its original Latin mode, complete with Bass’s right hand octaves, and is a driver with drummer Helfand thoroughly in charge. Far and Wee is a freer piece with Monk-ish overtones. It is an enjoyable romp. You Lose, a take on the changes of If I Should Lose You, usually a ballad presentation, is a straight-ahead cooker here and a fine closer.  

Trio Nuevo Vol. 3 has a vast amount to offer engaged listeners. Bass, Miles and Helfand all shine like Pinocchio’s star. While one doesn’t not need a musician’s ear to discern some of the subtle shenanigans these terrific musical musketeers toss around, there’s plenty of “one for all” and that makes for a terrific trio experience.  Nick Mondello