Terry Plumeri puts a new spin on the piano trio on Blue in Green. He takes his leads with a bowed, instead of a plucked, bass. Many bassists use the bow as a novelty, but Plumeri has both the dexterity and imagination to use it to bring out the beauty of the standards he presents.

He does this most often at the beginnings of the cuts, with the piano used in harmony. After the solo, he takes over plucking his standup bass for rhythm. His approach with the bow brings out the melodic aspect of the bass. It is somewhat reminiscent of the use of a violin, but his bass has a lush texture, and gives a softer touch that fits in better with the moody feel of these eight compositions.

David Goldblatt sometimes plays both in a "cocktail music" mode, as on the Jobim cut. At other times he is straight-ahead and driving, throwing out fast riffs that head toward "free" or be-bop, but never forsaking the rhythm of the song. Veteran drummer Joe La Barbera deftly changes styles for the varied approaches of the music.

This is somewhat of a classical music approach to classic jazz tunes, one that is well worth listening to.

by Dave Howell
Rambles.NET
10 February 2007