QOW Trio – The Maintain Up
(Ubuntu Music. UBU0161. Album Evaluation by Patrick Hadfield)

Introduced collectively by their affection for Sonny Rollins’ piano-less trios, QOW Trio is bursting with exuberant, energetic taking part in and creativeness. Their second album manages to make what might sound a drained format vigorous and exhilarating: it positively fizzes with pleasure.

Combining lesser recognized items by the likes of Jackie McLean, Lee Morgan and Kenny Dorham with tunes penned by saxophonist Riley Stone-Lonergan, a lot of the album performs at a cracking tempo. The 2 exceptions are an beautiful, craving rendition of the Ellington/Strayhorn customary The Star-Crossed Lovers, and shifting model of Stephen Foster’s religious Arduous Instances Come Once more No Extra, which provide an opportunity to collect one’s breath. Stone-Lonergan’s writing suits proper in amongst his esteemed predessors’ tunes, producing an album which has a really unified really feel.

Stone-Lonergan has supplied the unique tunes for this album, however there isn’t a mistaking the entire dedication to his music from the opposite members of this cross-generational trio, veteran drummer Spike Wells and bassist Eddie Myer, give a lot and are totally equal voices within the endeavour. Wells drumming is energetic, pushing the music together with verve, and Myer’s strolling bass is a dream. The music simply appears to circulate alongside. And as Wells instructed Phil Johnson in an interview for LJN (hyperlink beneath), his involvement on this group has “reinvigorated my taking part in and musical profession”.

For all the joy and vitality, in addition they handle to create a laid again, lazy groove on some items, akin to Huge John Patton’s soulful In Walked John. The album closes with Johnny Mercer’s I’m An Previous Cowhand  – or because the trio would have it, ‘QOWhand’. It fizzes alongside, with a characteristic for Wells, leaving one – fairly actually – on a excessive word.

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Patrick Hadfield lives in Edinburgh, sometimes takes pictures, and typically blogs at On the Beat. He’s @patrickhadfield@mastodon.scot on Mastodon.

LINK: Phil Johnson’s characteristic about The Maintain Up