New York Latin Jazz pianist Bill O'Connell's innovative spin on the traditional jazz
trio format, with celebrity guests/ GRAMMY winners Paquito D'Rivera, Dave Samuels and Dave Valentin.

10 MP3 Songs in this album (60:02) !
Related styles: Jazz: Latin Jazz, Latin: Afro-Cuban, Featuring Piano

People who are interested in Chucho Valdes Eddie Palmieri Tito Puente should consider this download.


Details:
Bill OâConnellâs state of mind these days would be the envy of road-weary jazzmen everywhere for a simple yet critically important reason: heâs truly excited about the new ground heâs broken on Triple Play + 3, his debut recording for ZOHO. âAt my age,â the 50-something musician explains, âitâs liberating to find another approach to playing.â OâConnellâs refreshingly innovative spin on the traditional trio format, with conguero Richie Flores filling a role usually provided by a trap drummer and a rotating case of guest instrumentalists filling the third chair, offers a vast array of possibilities for all involved.
âA lot happens at the moment,â the leader adds, âand thatâs the beauty of just having three people. Because thereâs no bass player, sometimes Iâm playing the tumbao (the basic rhythm played on the conga and the bass in Afro-Caribbean music) with my left hand and sometimes I just leave it alone. This really allows me to direct the harmony or re-harmonize any way I want without having clashes with a bassist. I feel that this format has opened up a different way for me to play.â
OâConnell first experimented with this unconventional set-up on the 2008 release simply called Triple Play, featuring Flores and flutist Dave Valentín. This time, with clarinetist Paquito DâRivera and vibraphonist Dave Samuels also onboard, the pianist has substantially broadened the conceptâs stylistic spectrum. And, with its satisfying blend of rhythmically-distinct and thematically-diverse performances, his latest offering personifies the goal of ZOHO to present âLatin and Jazz with a New York vibe.â
The presence of DâRivera on two tracks resulted from OâConnellâs wish to reconnect in the studio with the legendary Cuban woodwind artist and do something new. âIâve known him for about three decades and played in his band a few times many years ago,â the pianist explains. âI absolutely love Paquitoâs clarinet playing, and he is deeply rooted in the traditional bebop style. Iâve also played in Dave Samuelsâ group, The Caribbean Jazz Project, and what he brings to the session is a bit more of a post-bop, modern jazz approach. As for Dave Valentín, heâs truly beyond easy description; heâs just a phenomenal Latin flutist with a serious jazz sensibility.â
OâConnellâs long and colorful career is notable for his extensive accomplishments in both Latin music and modern jazz. Indeed, there are few non-Latinos who have contributed as much to the Latin jazz idiom in the past four decades as has the lanky Long Island native. In the mid 1970s, he served as keyboardist in the great Mongo Santamariaâs funky Latin jazz unit. In the early 1980s, he began a long association with Valentín as the popular flutistâs music director and pianist. Over the years, heâs worked with a wide range of artists, from trumpeter Chet Baker and saxophonist Sonny Rollins to the fabled Fort Apache Band, Argentine saxophonist Leandro âGatoâ Barbieriâs group, and trombonist Conrad Herwigâs âLatin Sideâ ensemble. A solo recording artist since the early 1990s, OâConnell has also proven to be an uncommonly prolific composer and an increasingly versatile arranger, adding string scoring to his résumé while ever expanding the range of his pianistic skills.
The program opens with a surprising twist. OâConnellâs Sweet Sophie Rose, named after his 18 year-old daughter, features DâRivera in a high-spirited duel with the pianist, as Floresâ congas provide an explosive percussive backdrop. âI have four kids, and theyâve all been the inspiration for a few tunes,â OâConnell laughs. He recalls having worked with Lionel Hampton and notes that âSweet Georgia Brownâ was one of his standards. A late uncle also loved the old tune and could pound it out on the piano. âIt was fun to write a tune based on âSweet Georgia Brownâ and I felt that it would be a terrific vehicle for Paquito.â
Billâs Blues is played in 5/4, an unconventional meter for the genre. The approach, featuring Samuelsâ darting vibes, is notable for its relaxed feel. âOccasionally I write tunes in odd meters, but this one was so comfortable that we just fell right into it,â the leader comments. âItâs nice when you can just play and forget you are playing in 5.â
Crazy Samba positions Valentínâs perky flute attack over a samba rhythm with more than a bit of funk on the top as OâConnellâs left hand gets a strong workout, tackling a prominent bass line.
Thelonious Monkâs âRound Midnight, one of only two non-OâConnell originals on the program, has been totally re-harmonized. âA lot of that goes over the heads of some listeners,â the arranger admits, âbut all of the different harmonies and the subtle touches in the arrangements are there. Because I want to personalize such a well known tune, I need to have them there.â DâRiveraâs sweet-toned clarinet work is the perfect complement to OâConnellâs lush chords.
Non-Sense is what the leader calls âa pedal-to-the-metal kind of piece where our collective attitude is, âOK, letâs hit this and see what we can do!â It has catchy breaks and although itâs not a long composition, it requires that everyone really be on their toes, as itâs a fairly aggressive, percussive song.â It comes off as one of the sessionâs most viscerally attractive outings.
Lake Road is a wistful ballad shaped by Valentínâs reflective flute work, Floresâ spare, atmospheric conga accents, and OâConnellâs reverential comping. He wrote it in memory of two teenagers who died in an accident in his hometown. âItâs one of those small town tragedies,â he comments, âand I just wanted to make a small dedication to them.â
Cobblestones finds Samuelsâ vibes in the thick of an evocative joyride in 6/8. âItâs a little more composed and with a tighter arrangement than some of the other tunes,â OâConnell notes, âbut I just like the groove!â Listeners will as well.
Speak Low, the Kurt Weill masterpiece, is the sessionâs only duo performance. âWe just turned on the tape and away we went,â the pianist recalls. âItâs up-tempo and probably the least arranged of anything on the album. I wanted to do this kind of take with Richie because I feel like the communication we have doesnât really necessitate any kind of serious arranging. We can just let it fly and something great will happen.â
The strong salsa flavor of Mr. E.P. stems from the source of the tuneâs inspiration, pianist Eddie Palmieri. OâConnell crafts the arrangement around a stylistically-pure, rhythmically robust 1-4-5 minor vamp, replete with a driving montuno.
The title of the set closer, La Playa, was chosen because, as its composer jokes, âit just sounds so much nicer than âThe Beach!ââ The tune boasts a strong rhythmic groove, fulfilling the leaderâs desire to end the session with something that might make people want to dance.
âThatâs the beauty of this trio concept,â OâConnell adds in summary of what he and his cohorts have accomplished on Triple Play + 3. âI can take the music in any harmonic and textural direction I want. And, the great thing about it is that itâs not just me; itâs everybody. We can all do it together.â
-- Mark Holston
Produced by Bill OâConnell. Recorded at Bennett Studios 4/26/2010, Engineer: Al Perrotta and 5/5/2010, Engineer: Dave Kowalski. Mixed at Knoop Studios October/November/2010. Engineer: Manfred Knoop. Mastering Engineer: Randy Merrill at Masterdisk. Photography and Package Design: Jack Frisch. Executive producer: Joachim âJochenâ Becker.