Trio 3 (free jazz trio)

Last updated
Trio 3
OriginNew York City
Genres Free jazz
Years activelate 1980s – 2022
Labels
Past members

Trio 3 was a collaborative American jazz group whose members were saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman, and drummer Andrew Cyrille. The trio existed for roughly 35 years: the musicians first played together in the late 1980s, [1] and the group disbanded in February 2022. [2] [3] During this time they recorded eleven albums, some of which featured guest pianists. [4] [5] The musicians described their sound as "futuristic music within the idiomatic continuum of jazz." [6]

Contents

History

The group had its origins in the late 1980s. [1] According to Oliver Lake, the three musicians began hiring each other for their projects, leading to the formation of a trio. [1] Lake recalled: "We did it so much, we decided it made sense for us to have one group. It was a business decision, but also a musical decision." [1] Cyrille and Lake appeared on Workman's 1986 album Synthesis ; [7] Lake and Workman appeared on Cyrille's 1992 album My Friend Louis ; [8] and Cyrille and Workman appeared on Lake's 1993 album Edge-ing . [9] They recorded their first album as a trio in 1992 with Live in Willisau .

Trio 3's musical outlook was derived in part from the notions of stylistic cross-fertilization that were common attributes of both the New York loft jazz scene of the 1970s and organizations such as Chicago's AACM and St. Louis's BAG. [1] Workman summed up his attitude: "You'd say, 'I like this idea; I can learn a lot from it—what can I do with this personally?'" [10] At the same time, despite the fact that each of the musicians had extensive experience as a group leader, the trio was, according to Cyrille, "truly leaderless in terms of one person playing and directing it." [11]

Four pianists (Irène Schweizer, Geri Allen, Jason Moran, and Vijay Iyer) appeared as guests on Trio 3 albums. Workman described these encounters as "a nice junction," and commented that the general idea was to find "a chordal person whose concept isn't dogmatic, but can be loose enough to encompass what we're doing and maneuver within our space—and for us to do the same for that person." [1]

The group's final performance took place in February 2022 at Dizzy's Jazz Club in New York City. [2] Ken Micallef, writing for DownBeat , called the concert "an unfettered gift." [2]

Discography

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<i>Live in Willisau</i> 1997 live album by Trio 3

Live in Willisau is the debut album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded in 1992 at the Swiss Jazz Festival Willisau and released in 1997 on the German Dizim label.

<i>Encounter</i> (Trio 3 album) 2000 studio album by Trio 3

Encounter is an album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded in 1999 and released on Lake's own Passin' Thru label.

<i>Open Ideas</i> 2002 studio album by Trio 3

Open Ideas is an album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded in 2001 and released on the Palmetto label.

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<i>At This Time</i> (Trio 3 album) 2009 studio album by Trio 3 Geri Allen

At This Time is an album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille, with guest pianist Geri Allen. It was recorded in 2008 and released by Intakt Records.

<i>Refraction – Breakin Glass</i> 2013 studio album by Trio 3 Jason Moran

Refraction – Breakin' Glass is an album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille, with guest pianist Jason Moran. It was recorded in 2012 and released by Intakt Records.

<i>Wiring</i> (album) 2014 studio album by Trio 3 Vijay Iyer

Wiring is an album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille, with guest pianist Vijay Iyer. It was recorded in 2013 and released by Intakt Records.

<i>Time Being</i> (Trio 3 album) 2006 studio album by Trio 3

Time Being is an album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded in 2005 and released on the Intakt label.

<i>Synthesis</i> (Reggie Workman album) 1986 live album by Reggie Workman

Synthesis is a live album by bassist/composer Reggie Workman. It was recorded on June 15, 1986, in Philadelphia, and was released by Leo Records later that year. On the album, Workman is joined by multi-instrumentalist Oliver Lake, pianist Marilyn Crispell, and drummer Andrew Cyrille. Workman, Lake, and Cyrille would later go to form the group known as Trio 3.

<i>Irène Schweizer & Andrew Cyrille</i> 1989 live album by Irène Schweizer and Andrew Cyrille

Irène Schweizer & Andrew Cyrille is a live album by pianist Irène Schweizer and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded in September 1988 at the Jazz Festival Willisau, and was released by Intakt Records on LP in 1989, and on CD in 1996.

<i>Whas Nine: Live at the Sunset</i> 2008 live album by Trio 3

Wha's Nine: Live at the Sunset is a live album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded at The Sunset in Paris in October 2007, and was released in 2008 by Marge Records.

<i>Berne Concert</i> 2009 live album by Trio 3 Irène Schweizer

Berne Concert is a live album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded in Berne and Zürich, Switzerland in November 2007, and was released in 2009 by Intakt Records. On the album, the musicians are joined by pianist Irène Schweizer

<i>Celebrating Mary Lou Williams–Live at Birdland New York</i> 2011 live album by Trio 3 Geri Allen

Celebrating Mary Lou Williams–Live at Birdland New York is a live album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded at Birdland in New York City in August 2010, and was released in 2011 by Intakt Records. On the album, which consists solely of compositions by Mary Lou Williams, the musicians are joined by pianist Geri Allen.

<i>Visiting Texture</i> 2017 studio album by Trio 3

Visiting Texture is an album by Trio 3, a jazz group consisting of saxophonist Oliver Lake, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded at Studio Peter Karl in Brooklyn, New York in July 2016, and was released in 2017 by Intakt Records.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Panken, Ted (April 2017). "Trio 3 Survival Syndrome" (PDF). DownBeat. p. 36.
  2. 1 2 3 Micallef, Ken (March 1, 2022). "Trio 3's Final Performance Thrills". Downbeat. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Dizzy's Club Kicks Off 2022 With Noteworthy New Voices and Established Talents in January and February Featuring Cyrus Chestnut, BIGYUKI, Samara Joy, George Coleman, Ann Hampton Calloway, and Many More". Resnicow & Associates. December 14, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Trio 3 Catalog - album index". JazzDisco. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  5. ↑ Hull, Tom. "Jazz (1960–70s)". TomHull.com. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  6. ↑ "TRIO 3 (lake/workman/cyrille)". All About Jazz. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Andrew Cyrille: Synthesis: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Reggie Workman: My Friend Louis: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Oliver Lake: Edge-ing: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  10. ↑ Panken, Ted (April 2017). "Trio 3 Survival Syndrome" (PDF). DownBeat. p. 38.
  11. ↑ Dansby, Andrew (February 13, 2013). "Trio 3 is but a branch on deep-rooted jazz tree". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
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