Jazz Reviews : Say It Ain’t So: Stellar Trio Meets for One Night Only

When a jazz trio that includes such stellar talent as pianist Jeff Lorber, bassist Brian Bromberg and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta gets together, it’s almost impossible to call anyone the leader.

It was academic Friday night at Bon Appetit, therefore, that Lorber was the nominal leader of the group. In fact, the players had never before worked together as an ensemble. But lack of familiarity posed few problems for the music that resulted from the impromptu collaboration.

Opening their set with an interpretation of “Days of Wine and Roses” that surely would have delighted jazz-loving Henry Mancini, each player set the stage for what was to follow. Bromberg’s improvisation was a masterful assemblage of triple-stops, octave runs, high voltage strumming and--amazingly for a string bassist--chordal clusters produced by tapping on the strings.

Colaiuta played with his usual fiery pyrotechnics well under control, a pair of brushes producing more than enough cool fission to energize the rhythms.

At the piano, Lorber, who has divided his time recently between record production and performance, made a case for the continuing vigor of be-bop with long, double-time lines and crisp, two-handed chording.

The program proceeded with an up-tempo samba, “Rooftops,” McCoy Tyner’s “Passion Dance,” Charlie Parker’s “Scrapple From the Apple” and a couple of blues pieces--a far more adventurous collection than one might ordinarily expect from a relatively unrehearsed band.

But the focus continued to rest--as it should have with an ensemble of such stellar proportions--on the soloing. Bromberg’s ever more adventurous tours across the outer limits of the contemporary bass produced a series of near-classic improvisations.

Colaiuta sometimes erred--as he has been known to do--on the side of excess; in his more restrained moments, however, his real, world-class skills began to emerge. And Lorber, holding everything together with a magisterial touch, crafted solos that spun close enough to the chords to provide a sense of continuity and structure.

Sadly, Bromberg, Lorber and Colaiuta joined forces for one night only. Given their apparent natural affinity for each other, one suspects that an extended run by this trio might produce some of the truly memorable jazz of the year.