The trio of Stevens, Siegel & Ferguson put together just over an hour of good, solid, instrumental jazz in Triologue. When I look at the length of the songs, part of me believes it should add up to more than an hour -- and I wish it did.

The trio is Michael Jeffrey Stevens (piano), Jeff "Siege" Siegel (drums) and Tim Ferguson (bass). The sounds from their instruments blend together smoothly. They are skilled and versatile musicians, at times painting vivid images with the music they create.

They start off with "Some Enchanted Evening" and they leave you feeling like you are walking outside as the sunset starts to ebb. "Vernazza" comes drifting in gently like the mist, a quiet piece of gentle beauty. The steady pulse in "This Nearly Was Mine" helps create a sense of hunger.

There is an elegance and at times a sense of dark pride in "Bloodcount," a song where the pianist's skill really shines. The drums get a chance to dance in "Tin Tin Deo," a song of celebration and joy. "Go Down Moses" starts off strong and returns time and time again to that powerful drive.

The power of "Petit Fleur" doesn't pull you in immediately; you know it is there, but it takes a moment to unfold. And then comes some amazing music in the form of "Eliza Isabella" -- I was already impressed with the music on the CD, but this one just blew me away. There is so much freshness and energy in the song. The CD ends off with "The Lockout," a much stricter and harsher piece with a looser feel.

Triologue is a well-crafted CD. The music is consistently very good, and at times magical. This is another fine slice of the music of the night.

[ by Paul de Bruijn ]
Rambles: 23 March 2002