Qinsin Nachoff's Ethereal Trio [CD]

The debut album from New York-based, Canadian-born saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff's chordless trio, a distinct project away from his larger ensemble successes. A stand-alone concert with seasoned musicians Mark Helias (double bass) and Dan Weiss (drums) created the conceptual spark; and following the writing of new material early in 2016, a series of concerts in New York, Toronto and Montreal neatly led to this single-session recording - Quinsin Nachoff's Ethereal Trio. Opening an album which blends through-composition and improvisation (each piece having its own plot and internal logic), "Clairvoyant Jest" finds Nachoff's saxophone dancing across rhythmically-twisted swing, characterised by double-stopped and open-stringed bass which highlights the harmonic motion. Suggesting a change in our imaginative picture of the world, "Imagination Construction"s animation pairs sax and Helias' bass harmonics magnificently, and the ten-minute progression of "Portrait in Sepia Tones" ramps up into a superbly percussive maelstrom. "Push-Pull Topology" possesses an underlying walking-bass thread, stretching and pulling different rhythms - fives over fours over threes - while the bristling landscapes of "Subliminal Circularity" summon the leader's equally raw and rippling saxophonic tones. Quinsin Nachoff relishes the freedom and the opportunities this trio offers: "I'm regularly involved in projects which include a lot of writing, arranging and making them happen. This Ethereal Trio album became much more about simply playing the saxophone, which was super fun and rewarding - and these guys are such a pleasure to play with."