KJB is a piano trio in the now classic Bill Evans vein, where they are truly more a trio than a piano trio. Emphasis is on the group sound. In his liner notes, pianist Bert Seager explains the challenge they set themselves. To keep thing fresh, they played largely a set of tunes they all knew well, but this time performed in odd tempi. And what we are hearing is all first takes (with the exception of "Don't Go" the new composition which presumably they needed to learn. Because of this challenge, KJB definitely has the energy of discovery driving it. Seager has a fine, clear articulation on the keyboard, and he loves stating the melody simply and then varying it as it grows. Bassist John Lockwood is a highlight here. He has a great melodic sense, and his solos frequently stand out, yet he is also adept at disappearing into the trio's sound when it is not his turn to shine. Drummer Kazumi Ikenaga can swing, and he has got a light touch favoring the high end of his kit; plus he is good with brushes. Those gentle skills make his work suit this trio format perfectly. KJB has produced a fine and tasteful recording from the jazz mainstream. It is not essential but it is a joy to hear. |
Over the years, Boston-area pianist Seager has only grown more refined and more adventurous. Beginning with his earliest post-bop quintet recordings, and then in several different trio settings, Seager has distilled his lyrical approach into perfectly blalanced and unfailingly beautiful music full of quiet subtleties. On his latest release, he finds fresh ways into standards like "You and the Night and the Music," and he writes beguiling originals like "Joyful Neus (for Judi and Carlo)" that are full of intimate surprises. He also offers up Pete Seeger's "where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and the heartwrenching folk-tinged title track, both of which blend the song-lile clarity of Seager's jazz soloing with a deep feeling for Americana. Then on "Trio Improvisation" he branches out into free improv, using only his highly developed lyrical sense to make the parts cohere. His new trio, with bassist Masa Kamaguchi and drummer Take Toriyama, is light-handed and responsive and never overplays, each musician is an attentive listener as well as an accomplished soloist. For all its intimate complexity and understated charm, this is a trio that's too alive and searching to be dull or complacent. |
Bert Seager embraces spontaneous composition and colective improvisation for the first time with this album, after having established his mastery in the more traditional trio and quintet environments. The results argue that a total command of the known is the best vantage point from which to launch into the unknown. Seager's new music conveys the same level of certainty that might emerge were he to approach a familiar set of chord changes or a time-honored vamp, minus the patterned responses that even many of the "freest" players find themselves clinging to for security. He clearly knows his own mind, and is equally curious to probe the psyches of his new partners, bassist George Donchev and drummer Nat Mugavero. They, in turn, provide the pianist with what the situation demands - immediate responsiveness and constant surprise. Standards by Ellington and Berlin provide a reference point for Seager's new brand of lyricism, while the remaining tracks spin the trio deeper into the realm of unmediated impulse and sound. |
On his debut CD for Accurate, pianist Bert Seager commits to album what's been thrilling Boston-area audiences for more than a decade flowing, storylike improvisations, startingly apt group interplay and an ear for top-shelf tunes. Forsaking the horn-fired bop that characterized his first three recordings, Seager continues to mine the Bill Evans/Keith Jarrett piano-trio tradition on his fifth outing and turns up diamond after diamond. The trio's improvisations possess a transparency, flow and deliberateness that's rare these days. "Resonance" is a first-class gem from a local treasure. (Tuesday at the Regattabar.) |
A CLOSER LOOK KJB | Phillip McNally | Cadence Magazine
PIONEER | Ed Hazell | The Boston Phoenix
FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY | Bob Blumenthal | The Boston Globe
RESONANCE | Kevin R. Convey | Boston Herald