Longing [5:55]
Joseph’s mud [5:47]
The chosen one [4:28]
Very loved [4:49]
Barcelona [6:48]
The aftermath [4:25]
Hidden [3:41]
Goodbye, then [5:22]
Squat little man [3:13]
Zizou [4:13]
All compositions by Tom Cawley
Tom Cawley (piano)
Sam Burgess (bass)
Joshua Blackmore (drums)
rec. 21-22 August, 2006, Clown’s Pocket Studio,
London
Tom Cawley is the best-known
name here, having already, though still young,
led bands at Ronnie Scott’s and the Blue Note
in New York, as well as playing keyboards
with Acoustic Lady (with their remarkable
mix of punk, rock pop and jazz). But it should
be noticed that this band is called ‘Curios’,
not The Tom Cawley Trio. Its music
making is essentially collective, even if
all the tunes are Cawley’s. There is
an audible empathy amongst the members of
the band and Burgess and Blackmore are certainly
important voices contributing to the overall
sound and manner of the band – they are far
more than mere accompanists.
The music they play is thoroughly
various. Varied in mood, dynamics and reference;
varied in its attitudes to harmony and rhythm.
Sometimes the rhythms are complex, sometimes
lithely swinging; at moments one is made to
think of Bill Evans, at others of Thelonious
Monk or Andrew Hill. There is a lot of wit,
of sophisticated alertness, in this music,
but it is neither excessively derivative nor
merely clever. There’s passion to the playing,
there’s humour and there’s joy. Whether on
a ballad such as ‘Very loved’ or the powerfully
percussive ‘Hidden’, this trio plays with
real emotional substance, real weight of feeling.
Blackmore is a superb drummer,
listening and leading alike, precise yet loose,
capable of both gentle brushwork and fiercely
propulsive aggression. Burgess does all that
could be hoped for as an accompanist, and
makes an excellent impression in his opportunities
to solo.
In short this is an excellent
album of contemporary jazz, informed by an
obviously extensive knowledge of the tradition
of the piano trio, but in no way inhibited
or limited by that knowledge – which merely
provides a jumping off point, a source of
the occasional allusion.
Well-recorded, this is an
important and satisfying album.
Glyn Pursglove
CD Reviews
Jazzizit
Records JITCD0744 [48:48]
