By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Trinary Motion
Not long ago, I reviewed a masterful double CD (Crescent) that featured vibraphonist Mike Mainieri and saxophonist Charlie Mariano. This release, also a double CD, teams Mainier with guitarist Marnix Busstra and his trio (bassist Eric van der Westen and drummer Pieter Bast).
The result is another gem.
All the musicians are better known in Europe than in the States, and this album is a compilation of live recordings made during a three-day period at clubs in Belgium and The Netherlands. Mainieri and Busstra have worked and recorded together on numerous occasions. Their close relationship is evident; they sound like they’ve been together for years.
All these tracks are originals, and most were composed and arranged by either Mainieri and Busstra.
This is another example of true concert jazz: Everything swings wonderfully, and your attention is riveted to every note, whether during an ensemble or solo passage. Fans of the Modern Jazz Quartet will appreciate this European equivalent. With luck, these guys will visit the States one day; until then, we’ll have to make do with their albums.
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