Nine original compositions from pianist Paul Giallorenzo in his 2nd Delmark CD, reducing the band to a classic piano trio with compatriots Joshua Abrams on bass and Mikel Patrick Avery on drums, in a passionate album that balances high energy polytonal swing to profound and lyrical ballads, with abstract blues and free-form inventiveness; excellent.
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2017 Country: USA Packaging: Jewel Case Recorded at Riverside Studio, in Chicago, Illinois, on May 15th and 16th, 2017, by Steve Wagner.
"Contrary to its regularity and design, an ostinato can be many things. Timekeeper, anchor, buoy, reset button, all are possible functions of its application to a musical setting. Pianist Paul Giallorenzo's prowess with the placement and production of an ostinato is accorded ample presence on the aptly-title Flow, his second session for Delmark. Giallorenzo was until recently a resident of Chicago and the coordinator of Elastic, a music venue in the city's Avondale neighborhood. That post plugged him directly into a convergence of musical communities, fostering a multitude of partnerships including those with bassist Joshua Abrams and drummer Mikel Patrick Avery that form the fulcrums of this studio date.
Nine originals add up to an approximate hour of music. The inherent angularity and logic of Giallorenzo's pieces distantly echoes the work of Herbie Nichols and Thelonious Monk without being derivative. Most start in a similar fashion with the pianist and or his partners generating a repeating figure around with the ensuing improvisational development revolves. There are exceptions like the gorgeous ballad "Darkness", where gilded incremental chords serve as connective lattice draped in brushed drum skin and the warm throb of Abrams strings in lieu of the otherwise ubiquitous ostinato. Abrams and Avery are totally dialed in to the agreed upon parameters, generating responses and provocations that carry a superficial semblance of minimalism that masks concentrated and constant participation.
Swing is also a central component to the trio's communication. "Fractures" sets up a cyclic, stair-stepping pattern forwarded on pizzicato bass and fibrillating snare drum around which the Giallorenzo peregrinates. "Rolling" generates a sound equivalent to its title with Abrams and Avery undulating to an internalized swaying meter as the pianist adds staggered embellishments to the ensemble's forward trajectory. The result is something wholly fresh and vibrant that feels indelibly tied to the lesser traveled transoms of the piano trio tradition. "Flipd Scrip" the longest excursion of the disc proves trio's central mechanisms sustainable over extended forms. Giallorenzo's earlier disc for Delmark involved the horns of Mars Williams and Jeb Bishop. The absence of frontline isn't a detriment here and in fact the focus on a familiar format made divergent and particular gives this new entry a decided edge."-Derek Taylor, Dusted Magazine