Haden, Iverson, Motian Trio at the Vanguard

[LWayne]

While traveling in NYC last week, I was thrilled to have another opportunity to visit that holy spot known as the Village Vanguard. This legendary club has been the scene of many memorable shows for me over the past few years, not the least of which was the Bill Frisell Richter 858 String Quartet gig from a couple of weeks back, so I was understandably let down by the first sub-par gig I had witnessed at this venue.

Over the years I had built much enthusiasm for any performance at the Vanguard that included the incomparable drummer Paul Motian. Indeed, he was his typical over-the-top self and provided the perfect accompaniment for the trio. However, the solid bass playing and harmonics of Charlie Haden and Motian never seemed to coalesce with the pyrotechnics of Ethan Iverson.

I will admit up front to being neither a fan nor a detractor of the Bad Plus, having seen them perform once live at the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild here in Pittsburgh; but I was somewhat dubious of the unusual composition of this trio. Stylistically, there seemed to be many more possible pairings of piano and rhythm section that would make more sense.

Unfortunately, as my wife commented, the performance never seemed to hit its stride. While the group played mostly a selection of up-beat original compositions, there didn't seem to be any group dynamic or chemistry. The highlight of the evening IMHO was those selections where Charlie Haden chose to solo or Paul Motian stretched out.

Hopefully this will not be my last trip to Valhalla (aka Village Vanguard) this year as I sometimes have the occasion to frequent NYC on business. While I always try to take away the positive from any performance, this certainly was a disappointing evening.

LWayne

[RDK]

Well, they can't all be great. On the hand, I would've loved to have been there.

[7/4]

Charlie Haden and Paul MotianDecades of Rhythms, Tensing and Stretching Still