eMusic Review 0
Pianist Craig Taborn seems to show up on a lot of my "Best Of" lists. If anyone invites me to submit another entry, his work on Eldorado Trio in partnership with saxophonist/clarinetist Louis Sclavis and drummer Tom Rainey will put him on yet another.
Taborn has come up with new ways to interact with colleagues, combining existing jazz language with completely personal techniques. Rainey manages to do a similar thing. Both are in the absolute forefront of contemporary improvisational music. Sclavis's direct influences are more clear cut (Eric Dolphy on bass clarinet, Steve Lacy on soprano saxophone), but he is a virtuoso of formidable range and profound intellect. Recorded live, Eldorado Trio, in its control, has the feel of studio project. It's not that the music doesn't take risks: It does at every turn. But all three musicians exhibit real discipline from start to finish. Part of this discipline comes from omitting whatever doesn't cohere to the larger framework of the composition or of group interplay. "Let It Drop," begins with Rainey's frantic Sunny Murray-cum-Philly Joe Jones intro, moves into a unison bass clarinet/piano theme reminiscent of an Ornette tune, and opens up to a… read more »
