BOBO STENSON TRIO - Very Early (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This CD reissue of a 1986 recording by the wonderful Bobo Stenson Trio is a special date indeed, especially given how free it is from Manfred Eicher's ECM production. Along with longtime mates Run Carlson on drums and Anders Jormin on bass, Stenson runs through a program of new European jazz and American jazz classics, displaying his solid yet lyrical touch, ringing clear harmonic palette and timbral elegance. His interpretation of Bill Evans on the title track is one of the finest versions of the tune ever recorded, with Evans' long lyric lines captured here with a different emphasis placed on the accents and the ostinato. There is no inversion of line, but an extension of the already grand scheme of Evans' harmonic language. On Coltrane's "Satellite," the essence of the modal experiment the saxophonist placed on the interaction of treble instrument to bass is highlighted by Stenson as he and Jormin move the mode through three intervals, each one more compact than the last, until only the essence remains. And on his own "Coming on the Bike," Stenson reveals his singular lyricism, coming out of Evans, it shapes a melody in subtle shades of green, blue, and gray while putting forth enough physical force to push a rhythm section to fluctuate the tempo between them. Finally, Stenson closes with Ornette Coleman's "Ramblin," which has become a staple of his live set. Catching the saxophonist's eerie melody squarely on the one, he striates the harmony by comping and soloing at the same time in oddly voiced diminished chords that echo both the blues and the swinging R&B of Coleman's Texas, without allowing himself to float through the middle; it's all rhythm and punch and melodic invention as he plays counterpoint to his own rhythmic sensibilities. Having this available in a digital format is a treat indeed.
(This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa')
Tracklist :
1     Moon and Sand 6'24
Alec Wilder
2     Some Other Spring 7'47
Irene Kitchings
3     Very Early 7'14
Bill Evans
4     Autumn in New York 7'03
Vernon Duke
5     Coming on the Bike 8'22
Bobo Stenson
6     Pavane 5'02
Gabriel Fauré
7     Satellite 6'48
John Coltrane
8     Sorg 7'23
Anders Jormin
9     Ramblin' 4'42
Ornette Coleman
Credits :
Bobo Stenson   Piano
Anders Jormin   Double Bass
Rune Carlsson    Drums