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Sound of Love

by

The Paul Motian Trio

 
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Sound of Love
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Avg: 4.0 (24 ratings)

Jazz Dream Team gives a performance for the ages

  • We Say...

    Review by Britt Robson

    This is pretty close to a desert-island disc: Arguably the peak recording from one of the most talented, supple and simpatico threesomes in all of jazz. Drummer Motian, guitarist Bill Frisell and saxophonist Joe Lovano had been playing together 15 years when this live date at the Village Vanguard was taped in 1995. The trust and familiarity in their agile rapport creates an extraordinary level of sensitivity and vivacity to the songs of Monk and Mingus, a balladic standard, and three Motian originals.

    The Monk covers are stupendous. “Misterioso” extends Monk’s sonic conversations using the consonant Monkian hallmarks of impulsive precision and innovative angularity. Right away, Lovano is toying with the melody, Frisell is diddling with the harmonies, and Motian is stage whispering all the right cues with his percussive caresses. By the three-quarter mark of the 13-minute opus, the interplay has been pared down into a blues for blooming: Frisell pulling the riff-chords, Lovano bleating, Motian rumbling, creating a spare yet kaleidoscopic swing. While less overtly inventive, “Epistrophy” gleefully gambols with an exalted level of jazz scholarship, as all three players seize the chance to bounce around on one of Monk’s more ebullient, spacious melodies. The Mingus paean to his mentor, “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love” is a tour de force for Frisell, whose ululating, diaphanous notes permeate the song’s billowy tone and tempo. Horn voicings are a forte of both Mingus and Ellington, and the harmonizing executed by Frisell and Lovano meets the standard even as the textures from Frisell’s guitar provides a unique twist.

    The Motian songs and the ballad, “Good Morning Heartache,” seem stunted only by comparison. “Mumbo Jumbo” is probably the best of the Motian tunes, with Frisell playing wry and knotty, Motian departing from his glancing cymbals for some nicely contrasted brittle notes (sticks on metal near the stand in the middle) and a little shadow boxing with Lovano. There’s a cerebral yet casual vibe, as if the players are turning and twisting the phrases like rows in a rubik’s cube. The aptly-named “Once Around the Park” is carefree, while Lovano imbues the fragile mood of “Good Morning Heartache” with pathos that isn’t threadbare.

    More brain cells than decibels are spent generating the Sound of Love, resulting in a particularly distinctive and nourishing jolt to the senses.

  • They Say...

    Review by Stephen Cook, All Music Guide

    This live 1995 recording from New York's Village Vanguard club features drummer Paul Motian, guitarist Bill Frisell, and tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano turning in a stellar set of jazz covers and Motian originals (this is the same trio the drummer led in the late '80s and recorded high-profile tributes to Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, and Tin Pan Alley with). As the premium sound quality of the recording makes clear, this trio had an almost telepathic rapport on stage, inspiring each other in both ensemble playing and solo flights. This kind of hand-in-glove chemistry is certainly due in part to the group's many stints on the road, but also comes from the individual player's complimentary styles: Frisell and Lovano (albeit less subtly) both dig into the structure of the songs, producing clever and dynamic statements, while Motian contains the proceedings with his steady, yet elastic time keeping and provocative accents. The covers here include extended readings of Monk's "Misterioso" and Charles Mingus' beautiful ballad "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love," in addition to a loose and bittersweet rendition of the jazz standard "Good Morning Heartache." Motian balances out the set with originals like the thorny, Latin rhythms-based "Mumbo Jumbo," the lightly swinging waltz number "Once Around the Park," and the dark-hewn, yet beguiling closer "Play." This is a great recording of some of the best jazz combo playing from the '80s to 2000. For Motian newcomers, though, the best bet is to first get one of this group's studio-recorded repertoire titles (Monk in Motian, Bill Evans, On Broadway) before checking out this sprawling live release.

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