What an album, a real defining moment for me in my love of Jazz, fairly early on i developed a set of rules that determined what Jazz discs i would like, and which to avoid like the plague, trio albums with just a horn and bass & drums was a definite no no, it just didn't work with only a horn up front, but this album broke that rule, and opened me up to other possibilities that could work, i remember listening to this disc outside on a sunny day in Norwich, leaning up against a tree trunk and writing my Journal, and when i listen to this disc, i think of that memory, it's a 'hard' listen, but one packed with rewards if you pay attention.
Kenny Garrett is American, he's now 51, he made this recording in 1995, one of the main reasons i bought this disc was because of the front cover, it is one of the most incredible portraits i have ever seen, a stunning monotone shot in shades of brown [by Lisa Peardon], i love the symmetry of it, Garrett in a thoughtful pose, the light from the left leaves some nice shadows and contours, the hands are wonderful, the slightly blurred shoulder lines give a great hunched feel, the lettering separates 'trio' and 'logy', i call it TrioLogy, the sideways lettering on the left is mine, rubbed on white transfers, as the back insert is quite poor on the track listing and the personnel, i always like to know who's playing what as i listen, so i made a track listing on the front, i think it looks absolutely fantastic, one of the best disc i ever own visually.
A great listening experience, the top two tracks were 3 & 5, with track 5 'Wayne's Thang' the outright winner by miles, it's an incredible Jazz track, truly inspired, written by Garrett himself, the intro is phenomenal, a drum solo by Brian Blade [0:00-0:21], using most of his kit, wow the combination of hits is incredible, right away there's a tremendous groove, the complexity of it is hard to explain, it has to be heard to be appreciated, must be one of the greatest ever Jazz intros, even when the Bassist [0:21+] and a little later Garrett come in [0:32+], that cymbal ringing is so intense man!, and the Drummer keeps up that groove, it's a very simple rhythmic tune from Garrett, and only opens out beyond the statement of the theme, it would be truly sparse and flat without that drummer's constant rhythm, the Bassist / Drummer only break from the rhythm at [2:17+], and then Garrett gets more animated, the whole this is so groove laden, and it's when the opening vibes by Garrett come back that i'm amazed at such a golden moment [5:25+], and then the Trio indulge in some delicious false endings [6:05 & 6:27], only for the whole thing to start up again, now that really is satisfying, so that when the thing actually does end [6:46], you're left hanging as to whether you counted right, is it going to start up again?, must have been fun to do live, keeps people guessing, almost like the 'alternative ending' in certain films.
Here's Kenny Garrett playing 'Wayne's Thang' live, on YouTube, it's an extra long version, but it gives you a great idea of what it's like.
Here's Kenny Garrett playing 'Wayne's Thang' live, on YouTube, it's an extra long version, but it gives you a great idea of what it's like.
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