Sometimes a band, an album, can take you by surprise. Trichotomy, who must be Australia's best jazz band, have made such an album with the captivating Fact Finding Mission.
I must admit, I'm not as "up" on my jazz trios as I should be. I first stumbled in to the genre with the brilliant, and often written about here, Neil Cowley Trio, sometime in early 2009, and ever since have been trying to find anything comparable, in terms of scope, compositional nous and downright energy. Finally, with Trichotomy, I may have got somewhere close. Certainly, with their new album, the band have crafted something which should aid them, should they seek to "crossover" in the kind of way that Neil Cowley's increasingly popular trio seem to be able to.
The album is full of twists and turns, sprightly rhythmic flourishes, from the muscular opening of "Strom" and the rock solid groove of the title track on the one hand (featuring some cleverly and liberally sprinkled samples from some of the political "heroes" of recent times) on the one hand, to gentler pieces such as "Song for Ev" on the other. The synergy between the core trio of Sean Foran's flowing and enigmatic piano, John Parker's otherworldly drumming, and Patrick Marchisella's driving bass tones is startling throughout. Where on previous releases Trichotomy seemed to lack focus slightly, here everything seems to fit, to matter, to draw the listener in to a world where these pieces of music are the only ones you dare to listen to in this moment. No small achievement.
Witnessed live, at the nicely appointed Lakeside Arts centre in Nottingham last week, my thoughts on the album were only crystallised and strengthened. Here is a trio in perfect synergy with one another musically, as an evening of perfectly fused grooves and improvisational sections flew by in a heartbeat. The use of technology in sound manipulation and backing tracks was a particularly intelligent touch for me, adding to the already not inconsiderable quality on show to produce a special evening. Seeing that the band so clearly loved what they were doing (even with the telling of somewhat dodgy Aussie jokes and other "banter") makes it all the more special. This is serious music, played by men who have mastered their crafts, without losing the joy of playing live and working off one another. A real privilege to witness and to enjoy.
