Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tim Ray Trio: Fire & Rain
Tim Ray Trio: Fire & Rain
ByRay writes that the trio format is "one of the great ensemble innovations of the last century," further concluding that "What makes an ensemble of piano, bass and drums so satisfying is the harmonic space...the rhythmic and coloristic focus...and a sonic balance" infused into the music. Who's to argue? All of those elements seem to work out quite well here, resulting in an impressive and dynamic session of music one will revisit often.
One of Ray's musical influences was the legendary Thelonious Monk who he pays tribute to on the opening hard-swinging Monk piece "Bye-Ya," followed by the band's beautiful treatment of Oliver Nelson's oft-recorded standard "Stolen Moments." Antonio Carlos Jobim, another of Ray's heroes, is covered here with a performance of one of his lesser-known compositions "Mojave," which is one of the outstanding tracks of the set.
Other tribute pieces here include the Carla Bley song "Lawns" (actually a Bley tribute to the late pianist Larry Willis), Keith Jarrett's "The Windup" and Oscar Peterson's "Nighttime." The James Taylor title song "Fire & Rain" enjoys two performances here, with a lengthy nine-minutes plus track, and the final track, a radio edit version of less than five minutes duration.
Each player contributes an original tune to the album, with Ray's "No Worries," Walker's "Moon in the Sea," and Lockwood's "The Meeting: The Jbug and the Kman" rounding out the set. Fire & Rain is an exceptional recording by this trio, and goes a long way to not only affirming Ray's feelings about the trio format but also adding to their well-deserved reputation as one of the most formidable jazz trios around.
Track Listing
Bye-Ya; Stolen Moments; NO Worries; The Meeting: The Jbug and the Kman; Mojave; Theodore the Thumper; Fire and Rain; Lawns; Moon in the Sea; Improv #1 (for Chick); Nighttime; The Windup; Fire and Rain (radio edit).
Personnel
Album information
Title: Fire & Rain | Year Released: 2023 | Record Label: Whaling City Sound
Comments
Tags
Tim Ray Trio
Album Review
Edward Blanco
Mixed Media Promotion
Fire & Rain
Whaling City Sound
John Lockwood
Mark Walker
Greg Abate
Thelonious Monk
Oliver Nelson
Antonio Carlos Jobim
carla bley
Larry Willis
Kieth Jarrett
oscar peterson
James Taylor