CD Review: Trio ON by TRIO ON (Big Music Jazz 2014)
Review by Bill Tilford, all rights reserved

This is a very intense recording in trio with Maikel Vistel on tenor saxophone,   Reinier Elizarde on bass and Juanma Barroso on drums.  What, no piano?  Not needed here - the sax and bass are both in a constant and very dense conversation.   If you have ever listened to the Dave Holland Quartet (bass, drums, two reeds) at the time that it recorded Conference of the Birds, there is a somewhat similar concept at work here, although the trio's recording is more conservative melodically than Mr. Holland's work, and the tempos are more intense.  It is intricate without crossing the line into Free Jazz, and there is no dissonance. (Incidentally, the Perdido in the song list is NOT the popular song from decades ago.)  All three of these gentlemen are basically international artists.  Maikel Vistel and Reinier Elizarde were born and raised in Cuba before working in the United States and Europe; Juanma Barroso is a native of Madrid who has also worked in the United States.    For the most part, you could call this "regular" Jazz recording - the one element that is recognizably Cuban is the use of six-beat phrasings in some of the songs (minus Cuban percussion patterns).  

This was recorded in Madrid, so I cannot point to it as a good example of the new Jazz being recorded in Cuba.  BUT,  this is interacting with what IS happening in Cuba, and there are artists on the island who are doing some of their work in this part of the spectrum, and the album was nominated for a Cubadisco award in 2015 in the Jazz category. 

Songs:

1. Between (Maikel Vistel)
2. Perdido (Maikel Vistel)
3. Continental (Reinier Elizaarde)
4. Soul Eyes ?
5. Dribble (Juanma Barroso)
6. Trio on (Maikel Vistel)
7. Space (Maikel Vistel)

Personnel in TRIO ON