By Philip Freeman | Published November 2019
Perhaps because it’s a new group, members of this bassless trio come to the session more or less as equals. Pianist Kevin Hays and drummer Marc Miralta bring three compositions each, while saxophonist Mark Turner offers two. It’s a testament to the strength of each man’s abilities that the absence of a bassist is barely noticeable throughout. A track like Hays’ “Please Remember Me”—which charges forward with a bouncing, muscular swing reminiscent of Keith Jarrett’s 1970s American Quartet—doesn’t need any additional elements to hold together. The group’s take on Turner’s “Nigeria” is another high-energy workout, the saxophonist and Hays taking the complicated melody line in fleet unison as Miralta sets up a pounding shuffle beat, before brief solo statements. The trio then turns to Ornette Coleman’s “Law Years,” moving at a mellow pace. Hays introduces it with a gentle solo passage before Turner dances through the melody, largely avoiding the bent pitches and sharp wails of the original; he wants every note to stand on its own. Where Are You finds a band with much in common, one that likely would yield strong results were it to become a regular endeavor.
Where Are You: Year Of The Snake; Pedra D’Aigua; Donna Lee; Elena; Please Remember Me; Nigeria; Where Are You?; Addaia; Law Years; Waltz For Wollesen. (61:56)
Personnel: Kevin Hays, piano; Mark Turner, tenor saxophone; Marc Miralta, drums.
