Matthew Fries, Phil Palombi, and Keith Hall create new music in the tradition of the classic jazz piano trio. Born as the backing band for singer, Curtis Stigers, they step into the foreground with their own music on this CD.

10 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Traditional Jazz Combo, JAZZ: Bebop



Details:
Tri-Fi is back with another exciting recording - and a bulk of online bonus material to go with it.

The jazz piano trio, Tri-Fi (Matthew Fries, piano; Keith Hall, drums; and Phil Palombi, bass), have just released their second trio CD, Postcards. It is a follow up to their critically acclaimed self-titled album and offers a whole new set of original compositions.

On Postcards, the three musicians again share compositional duties and the resulting music on the CD ranges widely in style and influence. âThe album is entirely original material,â says drummer, Hall, âmost of which was written specifically for this recording. We also took some chances exploring some different directions, which I think proved to be a lot of fun and very musical.â Postcards from Abroad, by Fries, is a subtle straight-eighth tune that features solos from Fries and Palombi before settling into a vamp that includes background vocals by the trio. The free-form blues ramble, Creative Force, by Hall, demonstrates the communication of the trio with an interactive shared solo between Fries and Hall before a surprising handoff to Fries for a feisty blues solo. The playful mixed meter tribute to Heathrow Airport, The Heathrow Shuffle, by Palombi, captures the fun side of the trio and features guest saxophonist, Steve Wilson, who makes a soulful contribution to three tracks on the recording.

Tri-Fi were praised on their debut album for âthe perpetual forward thrust of the music... and their flawless intercommunication" by All About Jazz, and described as infusing âcreative writing, fresh arranging and complimentary playing to offer us music that has to be reckoned withâ by JazzReview.com.

Fries, Hall and Palombi have been touring together as sidemen with singer, Curtis Stigers, for over four years (totaling close to five hundred concerts together), and formed Tri-Fi as a way to step forward into the spotlight and create some original music in the classic jazz piano trio format. Their friendship and level of musical communication gained in their roles as sidemen are once again obvious in this exciting set of new music.

The album contains twelve tracks and is available online at www.tri-fi.com â plus listeners who buy the album can access two bonus tracks, photos, videos, bootleg recordings and more from the website by entering a code found in the CD jacket.

Pianist, Matthew Fries, was the winner of the Great American Piano Competition. Pianist and former Jazz Messenger, James Williams, called Fries âa bright young star in the galaxy of pianists who will lead us into the 21st century.â As a sideman, Matthew has been described as "the best jazz accompaniment I've seen in a cabaret in years" (The New York Times) and "a distinct asset" (Variety Magazine). He tours and performs regularly with singers Curtis Stigers and Stacey Kent and has performed with DeeDee Bridgewater, Vincent Herring, Claudio Roditi, Steve Wilson, Peter Bernstein, Charlie Persip, Walter Perkins, Billy Hart, Jay Leonhart and many others.

Drummer, Keith Hall, has performed with Betty Carter, Sir Roland Hanna, Wynton Marsalis, Steve Wilson, Joe Wilder, Claudio Roditi, Mark Turner and tours regularly with Curtis Stigers. Modern Drummer Magazine says âHall has a nimble, grooving, 'melodic' touch, and knows how to tell a story.â Trumpeter and bandleader Michael Mossman calls Keith âa member of the new generation of hard swinging, versatile and musically aware musicians that will shape jazz for the next 20 - 30 years.â

âPhil Palombi is one of the most sought after young bass players in the New York areaâ according to tenor saxophonist Walt Weiskopf. Palombi is quickly moving through the ranks of the New York Jazz elite with a musical resume that includes performances with Michael Brecker, Billy Hart, Dave Liebman, Etta Jones, Chris Potter, Rich Perry, John Riley, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Lew Tabackin, Chucho Valdes, Mark Turner, Eliot Zigmund, The Village Vanguard Orchestra and a two-year stint with the Maynard Feruson Big Bop Nouveau band. Phil Palombi recently published his first book entitled Scott LaFaro â 15 Solo Transcriptions; a book of all of Scott LaFaro's bass solos from the Bill Evans recordings Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby.