Alister Spence/Joe Williamson/Christopher Cantillo

Dave Brubeck Trio
Live From Vienna 1967
Brubeck Editions BELP 20220301

Although these two commendable piano-bass-drums discs approach that tradition in almost converse fashions, part of their singularity is their delayed appearance. A prequel to the first release in 2013 by Australian pianist Alister Spence, Canadian bassist Joe Williamson and Swedish drummer Christopher Cantillo, this 2011 session was designed to test out the threesome’s interplay. Yet the quality is elevated enough to wonder why it has taken 11 years for its release. Recorded 55 years ago, but only available now, Live From Vienna 1967 is another matter. Each of the players, pianist Dave Brubeck, bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello – was already world famous. But this unexpected Konzerthaus gig came about because the other quartet member Paul Desmond was AWOL after a Hamburg concert the night before. That means an angry Brubeck was involved in his most protracted trio work since his threesome with Cal Tjader circa 1950.

Made up almost completely of familiar standards, this unexpected configuration brings exuberance and freshness to what elsewhere was a pretty standardized Brubeck combo show. By 2022 standards the choice of “Swanee River’ as one of the tracks is a little off-putting. But at least with vigorous chording, frequent crescendos and fragmentation, the antebellum theme doesn’t appear too often and is secondary to a call-and-response episode from the pianist and Morello. The usually flashy drummer is almost discreet throughout. Rather than drawing attention to his technical dexterity, during the mostly foot-tapping performance he confines himself to spaced ruffs, patterns, cymbal clashes and sympathetic accents during the ballad selections. Given more space than usual, Wright, in contrast, confirms that his interpretation go way past mere walking. A band leader on his own before his Brubeck stint, on familiar fare like “St. Louis Blues” he moves confidently through his string set from either direction, sophisticatedly adding quotes from other tunes during his solos. On “Take The A Train” his supple string complements and the drummer’s rumbles allow the performance to open up into double time. Seemingly more relaxed on the concluding number, Brubeck spends as much time improvising as highlighting snatches of the hoary melody. His inventiveness when not playing the expected hits also shines through, startingly enough on “Someday My Prince Will Come”. Infusing the track with tangents into other real book material, his multi-finger approach speeds up and toughens the theme, while propelling unrelated sound shards into the mix before sliding back to the head.

Playing only instant compositions, the other trio members are dedicated to sound exploration on their 12 selections rather than putting on a show. Plus each approaches music much differently than the Brubeck three. Spence, who has worked with Satoko Fujii among others, is an economical player, whose patterns usually course translucently through dynamic and energetic intervals. Williamson who has played with David Stackenäs and more outside stylists, mostly sticks to accompaniment here with purposeful thwacks or sympathetic bowing. Cantillo, who has recorded with the likes of Fredrik Ljungkvist, takes the Morello-like spotlight here. Besides supportive rhythms at many tempos, he displays a percussion conference collection of sound makers with wooden echoes, vocalized noises, chains shakes and slide whistle-like asides. Reflecting is experimental nature Curve includes five brief interludes which blend and fragment a collection of tones and timbres from each player. True to its title, track 3 “Opening” actually gets the process started. With the drummer providing stretched clanks, shrill clatters and bell peals alongside and Williamson’s walking bass line, Spence opens up the improvisation with judicious chording and careful coloration, reflectively advancing the exposition despite moving at a slow pace. Besides extracting asides from the spaces between the notes, the pianist also makes points by alternating energetic linear motion with protracted key stopping. This way both lyrical and rhythmic projections are solidified. Further metronomic piano pacing can create a swelling dramatic narrative or, in the case of a track like “Slow Spin”, project a feeling of overriding menace, only dissipated at the conclusion by key skittering and sweeps. Overall “Distribution”, the penultimate track, is the session’s real conclusion. That’s because its definition come from the intersection of Spence’s pressurized keyboard pumps and woody key clipping, Williamson buzzing arco expressions and Cantillo’s rumbling reverb and metallic shrills. These toughened alloy-like textures are explored at greater length on “Generation”. As the bassist bows string pitches from his instrument’s highest notes and the drummer rasps, ratchets and rolls abrasive shrieks from the rigid parts of his kit, the pianist produces variations on the exposition, before sliding into a new sprightly melody. Carrying its variations to the end with staccato and presto patterns, the narrative is enhanced with metallic echoes from positioned cymbals.

Although it would probably be difficult to find more disparate trio documents, each proves the validity of the from with the right mixture of vision and inspiration.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Curve: 1. Örnsberg Songbook 1 2. Deflect 3. Opening 4. Örnsberg Songbook 2 5. Slow Spin 6. Point of Rest 7. Örnsberg Songbook 3 8. Modulus 9. Generation 10. Örnsberg Songbook 4 11. Distribution 12. Örnsberg Songbook 5

Personnel: Curve: Alister Spence (piano and prepared piano); Joe Williamson (bass) and Christopher Cantillo (drums and percussion)

Track Listing: Live: 1. St. Louis Blues 2. One Moment Worth Years 3. Swanee River 4. La Paloma Azul 5. Someday My Prince Will Come 6. Take The A Train

Personnel: Live: Dave Brubeck (piano); Eugene Wright (bass) and Joe Morello (drums)