Top 3 - Best jazz piano-bass-drums trio (on cd or vinyl)

Monk, Pettiford & Clarke Plays Duke Ellington

Greetings jazz fans,

     Piano trios are one of my favorite musical formats, and I do a great deal of listening to this apparently limited form, which has had so many great artists and great bands create inspired music without appearing to ever exhaust the possibilities in the genre.    In addition to many of the fine recordings previously mentioned I'll add three of my own that I don't see in previous lists:

      1) Tommy Flanagan Trio- Sea Changes on Evidence ECD 22191-2.  

This wonderful recording was made by the esteemed New York engineer Jim Anderson.   To my ears this recording is even better than the Patricia Barber discs Jim is justifiably well known for.   If you have not listened to Tommy Flanagan before, he was a musician's musician.     When Sonny Rollins was asked about jazz pianists, he said, more or less, "there is everyone else, and there is Tommy, so why not play with the best."

         2) Ahmad Jamal- A Quiet Time- Dreyfus Jazz- FMD 46050 369452

         Ok, I"ll confess this is actually a quartet date as Ahmad now favors a band which includes both a drummer and a percussionist, but niggling concerns aside, this is both stunningly well recorded music by one of the modern architect's of the piano trio format, and music making of the highest order.    The idea that Ahmad is capable of this sort of performance fifty years into his career is something to really contemplate, and to celebrate.    His most recent album, Blue Moon, recorded with the same instrumentation, but somewhat different players is also very well recorded in a naturalistic fashion.    I haven't spent long enough with it to know if I'll recommend it as highly as A Quiet Time, but if you like one, get both!    (That is my motto as a collector anyway.)

          Fred Hersch Trio- Whirl- on Palmetto Records- PM 2143 (Also available on vinyl, for those of you spinning the larger and blacker discs)

          Fred is another musician's musician and thankfully, restored to full health after a bad health scare a few years ago during which he was in a coma.   If you get a chance to see him live, he is simply amazing and really seems to enjoy the interplay with his trio.    A near great recording on sonic terms, but great musically.    I am just now getting to know his recent 2 CD set Alive at the Vanguard with the same trio, and it may be even better. 

          Good listening!

          Bruce