Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email

2011 May 04 • Wednesday

Ellery Eskelin's new CD, Trio New York, is one of the best records I've heard in a really long time.

You can check out some samples here and order it here.

It's an organ trio with Gary Versace and Gerald Cleaver and it's dedicated to Ellery's mother, herself a professional jazz organist.

The program consists of five standards, including one Monk tune and one tune, "Witchcraft", that I think I've only ever heard Frank Sinatra do. What makes the performances so great is how the players explore not just the song but the spaces around the song and inside the song.

One of the interesting things about Ellery's own music is that he and his group will start with improvisation and go to written material. It's usually the other way around, of course. It sounded to me like he was approaching this music the same way. It's great and I don't think I've ever heard anything quite like it.