Brandon Goldberg - In Good Time (feat. Ralph Peterson)

Celebrated Young Pianist and Bandleader Brandon Goldberg Announces

His Compelling Sophomore Release In Good Time, Featuring An All-Star 

Quintet Including Late Jazz Luminary Ralph Peterson

Pianist, composer and bandleader Brandon Goldberg is thrilled to announce the release of his second album, In Good Time. A follow-up to 2019’s critically-acclaimed LET’S PLAY!, Goldberg approaches In Good Time with a refined, seasoned sensibility and is joined by a top-shelf quintet through five original compositions and five smartly arranged jazz standards. Showcasing Goldberg’s pianistic prowess and stunning compositional facility, the album features the 15 year old instrumentalist in a powerhouse trio with late drum giant Ralph Peterson and heralded bassist Luques Curtis, filled out by a supple horn section made up of saxophonist Stacy Dillard and trumpeter Josh Evans. Trumpeter Antoine Drye makes an appearance on the album’s closing track for a duo performance with the bandleader. In Good Time will be available on all platforms on September 17, 2021. 

Three years ago, when pianist Brandon Goldberg was 12, he turned heads with his accomplished debut project LET’S PLAY!, a compelling trio recital with upper-echelon jazz veterans Ben Wolfe on bass and Donald Edwards on drums on which he functioned as a musical peer in an equilateral triangle. Now, fully in command of his materials, Goldberg spotlights considerable instrumental faculty while presenting a program that gives each member ample space to express individualism while also fulfilling collective imperatives. The pieces convey a broad range of emotional and timbral flavors through Goldberg’s sophisticated refraction of a long timeline of improvisatory dialects and compositional strategies culled from a century of Jazz, Black American Music, and American Songbook expression. 

“I really love Brandon,” says jazz saxophonist Donald Harrison. “He will be one of our most important musicians and he has always been a gentleman. It makes me happy to see him grow up before my very eyes. He is a family member to me.” 

Goldberg displays an impeccable synergy with the incomparable rhythm section made up of Luques Curtis and drum legend Ralph Peterson. Here, the late drummer exudes a characteristic energy, soulfulness, and focus which is reciprocated and amplified by Goldberg. Devastatingly, the master drummer and educator would pass three months after the completion of the album, after his fierce six-year battle with cancer. “Ralph was pure intensity,” Goldberg said in May after In Good Time was fully sequenced and mastered. “If you reached a point where you got comfortable, he’d play something completely unexpected to put you on edge.” Aside from the notes and tones, Goldberg added, Peterson “had something to do with everything in this project.” Their relationship began in 2018 at the Litchfield Jazz Festival when pianist Orrin Evans – a Goldberg advocate since teaching him two years earlier at Litchfield Jazz Camp – introduced them. “Ralph gave me his card and said, ‘Dial it, don’t file it,’” Goldberg continued, “Once we got serious and I started writing, we talked about once a week,” Goldberg recalled. “But even before, any time I needed help with music… he said he wanted to tell me what not to do, but not what I should be doing, because he never wanted to get in the way of what I wanted. That’s how he was, and he said that’s how Art Blakey was with him.”

Peterson’s signature raspy voice begins the record in a voicemail that he sent the young bandleader prior to the album’s conception, setting the stage with a heartfelt reminder of the late drummer’s tenacity and dedication to the legacy of jazz. The voicemail fades and the listener hears Goldberg’s unwavering voice count the group off, echoing the urgency of Peterson’s voicemail, Goldberg is ready to get down-to-business and the bright-tempoed swing of Goldberg’s original composition “Authority” reflects just that. This sprightly ensemble-piece harkens back to the hard-bop sensibilities of the Jazz Messengers and includes masterful solos from Goldberg, Dillard and Evans. Goldberg demonstrates his gift for melodic invention on his originals “Circles” and “Time”. The former, titled for its repeating theme, features Dillard’s lyric, soaring soprano saxophone atop Peterson’s undulating, authoritative brushstrokes. The latter begins as a ballad, poignantly stated by Evans. Curtis’ lyric meditation follows, then Evans uncorks an improvisation that resolves on the head, whereupon the tempo transitions to medium-bright (Peterson percolates again on brushes) for another inspired Dillard declamation.

Luques Curtis, Josh Evans, Ralph Peterson, Brandon Goldberg, Stacy Dillard by John Abbott

Goldberg’s interpretations of classic jazz compositions demonstrate the young players ability to tip-the-hat to the composer of the piece while also bringing something new to the table. “Monk’s Dream” captures the idiosyncrasy of the composition while Goldberg also explores its harmonic richness with adept vertical playing that outlines the changes tastefully and tells a cohesive story. The piece also features an iconic, fiery solo from Peterson, bringing the tune back to its head. Goldberg further channels the sonic palette of late ’60s Miles on “Stella By Starlight,” which he addresses on Fender Rhodes, dressing up the old chestnut with fresh melodic variations and a 6/8 feel. A stately duo of Sondheim’s “Send In The Clowns” with gold-toned trumpeter Antoine Drye acts as the pianist’s encore. Goldberg leaves the audience on a tender note, providing a nuanced grace to the conclusion of an album which will surely cement Goldberg’s stature as a preeminent fixture in the scope of jazz.

JazzTimes writer Ken Franckling notes “He understands the basics and nuances of making jazz – and swings like mad in the great company of his trio mates.”

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OUT FRIDAY: Ralph Peterson Jr.'s Final Album, RAISE UP OFF ME (with the Curtis Brothers, Jazzmeia Horn, Eguie Castrillo) via Onyx

Onyx Productions Announces the Release of Raise Up Off Me, 

Ralph Peterson Jr.’s Final Recording

Featuring Zaccai and Luques Curtis

+ special guests Jazzmeia Horn and Eguie Castrillo 

Releasing May 21, 2021 

on all digital platforms, and as compact disc + double vinyl LP

On May 21, 2021, Onyx Productions will release Raise Up Off Me, the final full-length album from master drummer, bandleader and composer Ralph Peterson Jr. To be released one day after what would have been Peterson’s 59th birthday, Raise Up Off Me is a powerful closing statement by the jazz giant that was carefully and meticulously prepared before his passing earlier this month. Peterson’s long-time bandmates and collaborators Zaccai and Luques Curtis are featured here on piano and bass respectively, along with special guests Jazzmeia Horn and percussionist Eguie Castrillo. Raise Up Off Me will be available on all digital platforms, as a compact disc and a special edition double vinyl LP. A virtual listening event will take place around release week- details will be announced shortly. 

Raise Up Off Me is Peterson’s 26th recording as a leader, and the 28th for his Onyx Productions Music Label. A self-described statement on society, this musical log pulled from issues that were important to Peterson: drug addiction and recovery; the importance of and the complexities of mental health; social issues and Black Lives Matter; and overall, the delicate impermanence of the physical life. On the title, Peterson says in a written statement: “In this era where we still feel the foot on our necks, the pepper spray and mace that burns our eyes and face, the bullets and the batons, I find it necessary to remind you that Black Lives Matter… and for my life to matter, you have to raise up off me.” The resulting work is a stirring opus made up of five Peterson-penned originals, and other compositions by Zaccai Curtis, Bud Powell, James Williams, Patrice Rushen and John Hicks. Jazzmeia Horn contributes a bonus track on the digital and LP version.   

Raise Up Off Me was recorded entirely at Peterson’s own Onyx Recording studio in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts with engineer Dean David Albak on December 7, 8, and 9, 2020. The project finds Peterson at home with the Curtis Brothers, to whom he was a mentor and musical father. “It was always one of the greatest honors to play with Ralph. We loved him dearly and he always took the time to show us how much he loved us. This music is the pinnacle of  what we've been striving for as a group. We are extensions of Ralph and his musical visions,” says Zaccai. Luques Curtis adds: "Ralph put a tremendous amount of love and thought into this recording knowing very much that it could be his last. He put his heart into this recording. I remember clearly how much fun he had planning it and his excitement throughout the recording process. I will always be grateful for the time I spent talking and learning from him on how to be a true Messenger of Music." The Curtis Brothers released Triangular III with Peterson in 2016 (Truth Revolution Records), and they appeared on various recordings with Peterson in his later years. Notably, Zaccai is featured on Peterson’s 2020 masterwork Onward & Upward. 

Ralph Peterson passed away on March 1, 2021 after a six year battle with cancer. Peterson’s close confidant and musical brother Orrin Evans reflects on this crucial posthumous recording in his moving liner notes, which are excerpted below. A track listing follows. 

If you knew Ralph Peterson, you knew whenever he titled a song or album, it directly correlated to something going on in his life. Art (1994, Blue Note) was Ralph’s tribute to his mentor, Art Blakey, who had just passed. Reclamation Project (1995, Evidence) was his way of telling us he was reclaiming his life and career. "The Trials of Trust and Treachery" off of Subliminal Seduction (2002, Criss Cross) was his homage to the difficulty but importance of long-term relationships. While Raise Up Off Me can easily be associated with 2020, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and the pandemic, the message I hear is Ralph's fight to LIVE! Raise Up Off Me immediately makes me think of my 7:00 AM daily Facebook check. The first post to pop up would be Ralph running on a treadmill, walking, practicing martial arts, or just plain old inspiring through words. From the moment he was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 he fought! “Raise Up Off Me - I GOT SOME SHIT TO DO... and he did it!” 

With the outstanding Curtis Brothers on the team, we are taken on a journey through Ralph's musical and personal legacy. In 1985, Ralph recorded "Blue Hughes" with Out Of The Blue - a band of "young lions" including Ralph on drums and Kenny Garrett, Ralph Bowen, Robert Hurst, and Michael Mossman, to name a few. Thirty-five years later, he brings it back with a fresh new arrangement made perfect for the Curtis Brothers and special guest Eguie Castrillo. "Tears I Cannot Hide" from Subliminal Seduction gets an entirely different treatment with the addition of Jazzmeia Horn's heartfelt vocals and original lyrics. The lyric "I am free, no more misery" speaks to my heart every time. Sprinkled within the record, you'll hear Ralph taking the opportunity to pay homage to his mentors and elders. Compositions by Patrice Rushen, Bud Powell, John Hicks, and the great Walter Davis Jr., whom Ralph recorded with on Scorpio's Rising, are all given new life. 

Anyone who has experienced Ralph Peterson's playing is aware of his deep feeling, "Respect for Truth," and the remarkable clarity he communicates them. Also evident to the listener and bandmates is his dedication to uplifting everyone on the bandstand. When I last saw Ralph, he looked at a few of us sitting there and said, "I'm glad I played the way I played my entire life because I always gave my all and have no regrets". As he was known to say while in the studio when asked to do a second or third take, "I meant what I played ... did you?" 

Years ago, I composed a tune in jest of Ralph. Ralph was confident, secure in his skin, and occasionally braggadocious. I didn't always understand or appreciate where he was coming from, but I enjoyed his "Volition". The tune was titled "Professor Farworthy," a nickname a fellow musician came up with for Ralph. "Ralph is far more worthy in his head than the rest of the world thinks," said the fellow musician. For 20 years, I privately laughed at the song but never told Ralph it was about him. A few years ago, while in a soundcheck, Ralph said, "let's play ‘Farworthy’". I was so paranoid because I had no idea he knew about the song. I looked over at him, and he laughed that loud laugh and said, "If I can be Farworthy, then you will be Savoir-fair!" Even in jest, Ralph found a way to compliment and "learn me" (Ralph's saying). Savoir Faire was his way of saying I was everywhere but needed to focus on where I wanted to be musically and otherwise. At that moment, I realized Ralph did think he was worthy and Far More Worthy for that matter. Far More Worthy than the constraints of a record label, venue, jazz periodical, and any higher learning institution. But not only was he Far More Worthy, but we all were also. All of his students, bandmates, friends, family, and colleagues were better because we knew Ralph Peterson Jr. "Raise Up Off Me" I got shit to do, and SO DO YOU!”

With Love and Respect,

Orrin Evans

88 Keys Productions/Imani Records

1. Raise Up Off Me (Ralph Peterson) 08:02

2. The Right To live (Ralph Peterson) 07:25

3. Four Play (James Williams) 04:31

4. I Want To Be There For You (Zaccai Curtis) 08:21

5. Bouncing With Bud (Bud Powell) 06:59

6. Blue Hughes (Ralph Peterson) 05:56

7. Tears I Can Not Hide (Ralph Peterson) 06:02

8. Naima’s Love Song (John Hicks) 06:51

9. Jodi (Ralph Peterson) 06:49

10. Fantasia Brazil (Ralph Peterson) 06:41

11. Shorties Portion (Patrice Rushen) 04:14

12. Raise Up Off Me Too! (Ralph Peterson) 06:34

13. Please Do Something (Bonus Track) (Jazzmeia Horn) 06:16 (digital/LP only)

Ralph Peterson - drums, trumpet, percussion

Zaccai Curtis - piano, keyboard

Luques Curtis - bass

Jazzmeia Horn - vocals (7, 8, 13 on digital/LP)

Eguie Castrillo - percussion (6)

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Wayne Escoffery - Vortex (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS January 26, 2018 2018)

Wayne Escoffery reaching his 40th birthday marked a period of big changes for the award-winning saxophonist both artistically and in his personal life. Escoffery had reached a crossroads. He had spent a happy and successful decade in the band of trumpeter/composer Tom Harrell but felt that it was time for him to step out more as a leader. At the end of 2016, Escoffery assembled a tremendous quartet of jazz’s most elite musicians that would record a live album, headline New York’s legendary Village Vanguard, and tour steadily for the next year. 

The current political and cultural landscape of the United States has caused many to take pause and Escoffery has had a lifetime to learn and deal with growing up black and as an immigrant (English born of Jamaican descent). But it was the recent US election and its effects on his young son that had a profound impact on him. Escoffery’s evocative new recording, Vortex, is about the current dizzying maelstrom of racism, bigotry and hate in the U.S. and the saxophonist’s renewed commitment to his responsibilities and artistic goals. 

As a youth in the southern United States, and as a young adult in Connecticut, Escoffery experienced first hand the entire prismatic spectrum of racism. From being too black to not being black enough, he had to be strong and determined to push past the negativity to succeed in the fields he pursued, namely being a professional musician and educator, most recently being appointed “Lecturer in Jazz Improvisation” at the prestigious Yale School of Music.

The 2016 Presidential election left Escoffery perplexed and despondent, as it did a large portion of the nation, but it was the response of his young son that he found most distressing. Escoffery’s eight year-old son was born into a period of hope, dignity and pride through the Obama presidency. It was the aftermath of the Freddie Gray shooting and the upheaval of racism and hate after the election that had his son frightened as though the end of the world was approaching. Escoffery knew his role as a father would become increasingly crucial in educating a boy in how to become a young man in the turbulent US racial environment. 

On his new recording, Escoffery presents this great quartet on a number of original pieces, a standard and an original piece by the ensemble’s brilliant drummer, Ralph Peterson, who Escoffery has worked alongside since Escoffery’s arrival in New York in 2000. The rest of the band is equally pedigreed. Pianist David Kikoski has been a regular collaborator in the Mingus Big Band and with Eddie Henderson, and bassist Ugonna Okegwo has been driving the rhythm section of Tom Harrell’s ensemble for the entirety of Escoffery’s tenure. Escoffery’s quartet is augmented by the percussion of Jaquelene Acevedo on a number of pieces. 

The recording begins with the leader’s “Vortex,” an intense composition characterizing the environmental pull of racism and hate that he guides his son away from. The plaintive “Judgement” is an improvised introduction to Peterson’s “Acceptance,” a challenging piece written in 15/4 that really highlights the ensemble’s interconnectivity and drive, its title stemming from “The Serenity Prayer” written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, 

Courage to change the things I can, 

And wisdom to know the difference.

Tom Harrell’s penchant for constant writing amazes Escoffery who regularly falls in love with the trumpeter’s compositions. Escoffery rehearsed and played Harrell’s “February” with him only once before the piece was shelved. The saxophonist revives the tune named for his birth month here. Escoffery’s “The Devil’s Den” is an ominous and darkly atmospheric piece evocative of Donald Trump, his entourage and the world they seem intent to create, powered here by the fantastic young drummer, Kush Abadey. 

The wistful “Tears for Carolyn” echoes a mood of both melancholy and perseverance after the unfortunate end of a long relationship. Escoffery learned the Noel and Joe Sherman standard “To The Ends of the Earth” from pianist Monty Alexander. He fell in love with the piece and re-imagined the Nat King Cole favorite in an arrangement reminiscent of the John Coltrane Quartet. Escoffery’s “In His Eyes” is about taking in the world as a child would, specifically the way his son has interpreted the events of the past year, with dramatic turns by guests: trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and drummer Abadey. The recording concludes with the saxophonist’s “Baku,” an uptempo piece that reflects a hectic 48-hour period where he had to switch from one gig to another, which required him to visit the Azarbaijani Embassy and get to Baku for a performance with pianist/composer Amina Figarova. 

On his moving new Vortex, Wayne Escoffery uses his music to come to terms with what he confronted as a man of color growing up in the US, how to help his son navigate through the current environment of bigotry and hate, and how to harness his emotions to generate positive momentum in his life and career.

1. Vortex

2. Judgement

3. Acceptance

4. February

5. The Devil's Den

6. Tears For Carolyn

7. To The Ends Of The Earth

8. In His Eyes

9. Baku

Wayne Escoffery - tenor saxophone

David Kikoski - piano

Ugonna Okegwo - bass

Ralph Peterson, Jr. - drums

Jeremy Pelt - trumpet (track 8)

Kush Abadey - drums (tracks 5 & 8)

Jacquelene Acevedo - percussion (tracks 4, 5 & 6)

NYC CD Release Gig @ Smoke from Jan. 26th to 28th!

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Coming Later This Year:

Feb. 9 - John Raymond & Real Feels - Joy Ride

Feb. 23 - Adam Nussbaum - The Lead Belly Project

Mar. 23 - Caroline Davis - Heart Tonic

Apr. 13 - Duduka Da Fonseca Trio - Plays Dom Salvador

Apr. 20 - Mike McGinnis - Singular Awakening

Apr. 20 - Edward Simon - Sorrows and Triumphs

May 11 - Román Filiú - Quartería

Sunnyside Artists Live:

Jan. 26-27 - Wayne Escoffery @ Smoke - NYC - CD Release for Vortex

Jan. 26-27 - Randy Ingram w/ Drew Gress @ Bagots Hutton - Dublin, Ireland

Jan. 27 - Camille Bertault & Dan Tepfer - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Jan. 27 - Laszlo Gardony @ James Library - Norwell, MA

Jan. 27 - Cristina Pato Quartet @ Clark State Performing Arts Center - Springfield, OH

Jan. 28 - Randy Ingram w/ Drew Gress @ Jazz Dock - Prague, Czech Republic

Jan. 31 - Randy Ingram w/ Drew Gress @ Hot Club - Lisbon, Portugal

Feb. 1 - Cristina Pato Quartet @ Cathedral of San Fernando - San Antonio, TX

Feb. 2 - Duane Eubanks Quartet @ Cornelia St. Café - NYC

Feb. 2-8 - Benny Green @ The Jazz Cruise - Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Feb. 7 - Duane Eubanks Trio @ INC American Bar & Kitchen - New Brunswick, NJ

Feb. 7 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Jazz Standard - NYC - CD Release for Joy Ride

Feb. 8 - Clovis Nicolas @ Minton's - NYC - CD Release for Freedom Suite Ensuite

Feb. 9 - Dan Tepfer - Maui, HI

Feb. 10 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ The Liberty - Cincinnati, OH

Feb. 11 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts - Menomonie, WI

Feb. 12 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ The Icehouse - Minneapolis, MN

Feb. 13 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Jazz Showcase - Chicago, IL

Feb. 13-14 - Dave King Trio @ Crooners Lounge - Minneapolis, MN

Feb. 14-15 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Luther College - Decorah, IA

Feb. 15 - Dave King Trio @ Jazz at the Athenaeum - La Jolla, CA

Feb. 15 - Dan Tepfer Trio @ Blue Note - Honolulu, HI

Feb. 16 - Dave King Trio @ Blue Whale - Los Angeles, CA

Feb. 16 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ The Mill - Iowa City, IA

Feb. 16-17 - Abdullah Ibrahim @ Dimitriou's Jazz Alley - Seattle, WA

Feb. 17 - Dave King Trio @ Revolution Hall / PDX Jazz Fest - Portland, OR

Feb. 17 - John Raymond & Real Feels @ Noce - Des Moines, IA

Ralph Peterson's Aggregate Prime - Dream Deferred (2016)

Since it was first published in 1951, Langston Hughes’ poem, “Harlem,” has been a source of awe and inspiration for generations of African American artists, notably Lorraine Hansbury, whose most famous play “A Raisin in the Sun” (1959), borrowed its title to enhance its theme of black families’ fraught and frustrated pursuit of the American Dream.

* * * * * * * * * * *

LANGSTON HUGHES, “Harlem”

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up

like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore-

And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?

Or crust and sugar over-

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags

like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

* * * * * * * * * * *

Ralph Peterson-percussionist, trumpeter, composer, bandleader and educator-has called upon Hughes’ iconic poem to give both title and theme to Dream Deferred, his 20th album as a leader and his sixth on his own label Onyx Music.  Dream Deferred is also the first to feature his new quintet, Aggregate Prime, comprising the powerful, all-star tandem of saxophonist/flutist Gary Thomas, guitarist Mark Whitfield, pianist Vijay Iyer, and bassist Kenny Davis.

“The album speaks to the question of that final question Langston Hughes asks in ‘Harlem’ and whether we as a society are close to answering it,” says Peterson. “The answer is already there in that if we don’t do the right thing, all of our hopes and dreams will explode.”


Peterson: “The ability of the sword to cut cleanly comes from what seems to be abusive extremes and that’s how we’re all tested by life. When life is heating up on you, your own tensile strength becomes more resilient until things cool down for a while before getting hot again. It’s these extremes that are ideal for stress test in strengthening metal…and your own mettle as well.”

1. Aggregate Prime - Iron Man

2. Emmanuel The Redeemer

3. Dream Deferred

4. Aggregate Prime - Monief Redux

5. Aggregate Prime - Father Spirit

6. Aggregate Prime - Fearless

7. Strongest Sword/Hottest Fire

8. Aggregate Prime - Queen Tiye

9. Aggregate Prime - Who's In Control

Ralph Peterson (d)

Mark Whitfield (g)

Kenny Davis (b)

Gary Thomas (ts/f)

Vijay Iyer(p)

Ralph Peterson - Triangular lll (2016)

Label: Self Released

Source: Cdbaby

To invert a Ducal dialectic, this music does mean a thing, and means it right from the start—and swing at this level of vigor and accomplishment means no less than the vitality of jazz at the present time. Swing rhythm has always represented an engagement with time—clock time, musical time, historical time: all the unavoidable times in which we live—with the power to liberate us from time’s constrictions and open a human, syncopated pathway to life more abundant. I’m glad it’s still with us, on this record and in clubs like New Haven’s Firehouse 12—“I like the intimacy of the room,” Ralph Peterson told me. “It’s a great place to play, the piano is fantastic and the tech stuff is always on the highest level.”—to light us up in this increasingly punchback, backbeat world.
The first tune is pianist-composer Walter Davis Jr.’s near-standard, “Uranus”, the first of three Davis compositions Peterson has chosen in tribute to a master musician who was an influence and mentor early on. “I was nineteen years old, studying at Rutgers, and Walter came to town with Philly Joe Jones’s Dameronia. At the time, I was trying to play as much like Philly Joe as I could, and I wasn’t cutting it, but for some reason Walter took an interest in me, and we started talking regularly. He’d mention a record, not tell me to check it out, just mention it, but then he’d call the tune on me without even counting off. That was the way back then, the masters would give you one chance to not know something, and if you weren’t paying attention, that would be the end of their interest in you. Walter gave me my first real gig in New York City, in a band that also included Wynton and Branford Marsalis, and we play three of Walter’s tunes on this CD.”
The fleetness of the trio-playing coming out of the gate on the first of these is a particular thrill: even listeners who take bassists for granted—and you know who you are—should perk up at Luques Curtis pushing his bass line into the forefront of the beat to fuse with the leader’s multiform sense of push and pocket. Peterson notes that although Luques Curtis is heir to the great tradition of Latin bass from Cachao to Andy Gonzalez, his walking bass is impeccable. “He was a student at Berklee and when I first heard him he was at a level above where I expected him to be, and now, fourteen years down the line, well, his development speaks for itself in the music.” Peterson similarly says of Zaccai Curtis that while most pianists anchored in Latin music don’t play jazz with equal authority, and vice versa, there is no such division in the pianist on this date, as his athletically longlined improvisation on “Uranus” makes clear. Also note his graceful variations on the catchy melody of Sam Rivers’ “Beatrice”, the first of two tunes associated with Joe Henderson—“He’s one of the main non-drum playing influences on what I do,” said Peterson, “and Luques and Zaccai’s arrangement of “Inner Urge” is a particularly brilliant take on the tune, combining clavé and odd meter ingeniously.”
And so on into the rest of this very live recording, through powerhouses like Peterson’s “The Art of War”—note the nod of homage to McCoy Tyner’s early composition, “Inception”—lyrical remissions via “Moments” and Hoagy Carmichael’s classic “Skylark”, and all sorts of variety lights and darks. “Backgammon”, “Manifest Destiny”, and “400 Years of War” demonstrate how much rhythmic variety a muscular, intelligent piano trio can bring to the conversation. Extraordinary throughout is the fullness that Peterson’s drumming achieves without overwhelming either busily or dynamically the necessary balance of the trio format.
“That kind of sonic balance comes from thirty years of experiemce. A lot of people with a lesser vocabulary tend to use the words loud or powerful, whereas the word dynamic, and the understanding of the word dynamic, escapes them. Dynamics isn’t playing soft all the time any more than it’s playing loud all the time. It’s the distance between the two and how you navigate it . . . Trio drumming, or any drumming, is not not so much about what to play or how much to play, but why, and where, and when. Understanding what the music calls for and placing it correctly enhances the dynamic impact of the music you’re trying to get acrosss.”
The session closes with the speedball “Blues for Cooch”, and if you lose track of the structure, as I did, it helps to be told, as I was, that it’s an eighteen-bar blues, shaped from three groups of six bars, with an extra harmonic nuance at the end of the chorus, and it’s full of rich three-way invention and the jazz language of our time spoken at peak eloquence, with a full measure of fire and wit and passion: a live event capped, appropriately, by Peterson acknowledging his bandmates, then including the audience: “And you, and you, and you!”
Your luck is running high: now you’re in on it too.

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