All The Things You Are; You Keep Coming Back Like A Song; Scamba; Hopperesque; Let's Get Lucky; Happy Dog; Mortal; Terse Tune; Luscious; Something Lost; We See.
Leslie Pintchik - Piano; Scott Hardy - Bass; Satoshi Takeishi - Percussion
This is the debut recording for New York-based pianist and composer Leslie Pintchik, who's been performing with her trio for more than a decade (including gigs at some of the better NYC clubs like the Blue Note and Sweet Basil). Pintchik and Hardy, who have been musical partners for many years and are also married, have a strong sense of sympatico and intuition between them. Drummer Takeishi is a perfect foil, sensitive when he needs to be, but always creative and active, and on certain pieces dancing in and out of the foreground with the others.
The album features 2 standards, 1 Thelonious Monk tune, and 8 original compositions, covering a nice range of moods and styles.The CD begins with a crisp and rather up-tempo version of "All The Things You Are," which I found infectious. "You Keep Coming Back Like A Song" is taken slowly, and has a sensitive, personal feel. The originals cover everything in between: "Let's Get Lucky" and "Happy Dog" swing very nicely and feel very open. "Terse Tune" also swings, but shows how tight-knit the group can be, and has a more muscular feel in both composition and performance. "Hopperesque" is very pensive, "Something Lost" reminded me of Bill Evan's "Blue In Green," "Scamba" has a nice Latin groove, while "Mortal" shows more of an edge and more of a thought-provoking style, beginning with what I'd call an Oriental or Taiko feeling. They close with a very enjoyable rendition of Monk's "We See."
Overall, I'd recommend this album if you like piano trios and good Jazz. It stood up to repeated listening, and seemed perfect during the 2 rainy afternoons I heard it. The 3 instruments are mixed very well, with the excellent production showing off each very clearly yet maintaining a sense of warmth and cohesion among the group.
by Howard Fieldstein