A great
sequel is a rarity worth waiting for. Drummer/composer Ralph Peterson returns
to the trio format for only the third time in 30 years on TriAngular III, due
out April 8 via Peterson's own Onyx Music label and Truth Revolution Records.
This time out he's joined by brothers Zaccai and Luques Curtis on piano and
bass, adding a new incarnation to the prestigious TriAngular lineage.
Recorded
live at New Haven's Firehouse 12, TriAngular III provides not only a showcase
for Peterson's boundless energy and imagination, but also a testament to the
healing power of music. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered as Peterson
was being diagnosed and treated for colorectal cancer, becoming a sterling
symbol of his successful battle against the disease.
"Early
on I thought that if this is my time, I've got to get this music finished and
out because I'm real comfortable with this being my swan song," Peterson
says. "If it's not, I still wanted to get it out because I'm really
excited about this music that we put together."
Cancer is
not the only health challenge that music has helped to usher Peterson through.
TriAngular III will be released just days before the drummer marks a landmark
20 years drink and drug free. "I'm now approaching the balance where I've been
clean longer than I ever used," he says, "and that's a powerful
example of what is possible through faith. It shows the restorative and healing
power of the music to move you through situations in life that can be
challenging."
Given the
evidence of the music contained herein, which bristles with electric interplay
and abundant joy, Ralph Peterson has plenty of life and music left in him. The
album is a fitting successor to its two predecessors: 1988's Triangular with
Geri Allen and Essiet Essiet, and 2000's Triangular 2 with David Kikoski and
Gerald Cannon.
"The
trio is one of the purest vehicles for expression in this music," Peterson
says. "With the right players you can sound like an orchestra."
Peterson is
particularly proud of the line-up for this outing, as Luques Curtis was a
student of the drummer's at Berklee College of Music and he's therefore known
both brothers for nearly half their lives. "Our families have adopted each
other," he says. "The fact that they're brothers makes them seem telepathic
at times, and I think of them as my brothers. These two guys never rest on
their laurels. They're always pushing the music forward, they're always trying
to get something different out of it, and that's good for me as I get
older."
So enamored
with the Curtis brothers is Peterson that he's releasing TriAngular III as a
co-production between his Onyx Music imprint and their Truth Revolution Records
label. And unlike the previous one-off TriAngular line-ups, he foresees this
one continuing on for the foreseeable future. "In these times of guerrilla
entrepreneurship, I think it may be a smart maneuver for artists to work
together to expand each other's audiences," he says. "I'm impressed
by their business acumen and their willingness to have a vision that's not
myopic. I think this particular version of TriAngular will hold together for a
number of years."
TriAngular
III is also the unofficial third entry in another trio; although it's not
titled ALIVE 3, it marks the third recording that Peterson has made at
Firehouse 12, which he praises as "an extremely intimate space. The fact
that it was a firehouse that became a recording studio that became a tapas bar
that decided to use their studio space to present live music is a rather unique
evolution. It's not a gig you do to retire on; it's a gig that you do to share
your music with a particularly appreciative musical community. And the Curtis
Brothers are from Connecticut, so it's always a homecoming celebration."
Peterson
brings his career full circle on TriAngular III by including three compositions
by the late pianist Walter Davis, Jr., the drummer's earliest mentor and
employer. "Uranus" kicks off the album with enthusiastic precision,
"Backgammon" is brisk and playful, while the cautiously hopeful
"400 Years Ago Tomorrow," introduced by a compelling Luques solo and
containing a jaw-dropping spotlight for the leader, unfolds with sweeping drama
and a gospel accent.
"If we
forget where we come from, we lose track of where we're going," Peterson
says of Davis. "I'm of the age now that Walter was when I met him, and it
is important for me to express my gratitude by doing for young musicians what
Walter did for me. That's simply to try to inspire them, not in spite of but
because of what I'm going through."
Saxophone
legend Joe Henderson is another longtime inspiration paid homage, through a
relaxed take on Sam Rivers' "Beatrice," a tune strongly associated
with Henderson, and a unique Afro-Cuban arrangement of the saxophonist's
trademark, "Inner Urge." The repertoire also includes the classic
standard "Skylark," an opportunity for the trio to show off its
tender side.
The album is
rounded out by several originals: the Curtis brothers contribute the brooding
"Manifest Destiny" and the gorgeously airy "Moments," a
song that Peterson calls, "amazingly delicate and nuanced and sensual, the
kind of song that ends up in my head for the rest of the day." The leader
himself reprises his steely "The Art of War" and closes the album
with "Blues for Chooch," titled after his own childhood nickname.
"I used to be embarrassed when my parents would yell that across the club
at Sweet Basil to get my attention, but eventually you become comfortable with
all aspects of who you are."
If
Peterson's job is, as he puts it, "to protect this national treasure we
call jazz," he's in a unique position to do just that. At 53, he can look
back on legendary mentors like Art Blakey and Elvin Jones as well as fruitful
collaborations with greats like Terence Blanchard, Branford Marsalis, David
Murray, Roy Hargrove, Michael Brecker and Betty Carter, not to mention a
notable career as a respected educator. While his health challenges are no
doubt formidable, a friend summed it up well when Peterson remarked that he
wasn't quite out of the woods yet. "Maybe not," he replied, "but
it looks like you're holding the axe."
Ralph
Peterson's Upcoming Performances:
April 8 / An
Die Muzik / Baltimore, MD
April 9 /
Nighttown / Cleveland, OH
April 10 /
The Ethical Society / Philadelphia, PA
April 26-27
/ Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola / New York, NY
April 28 /
Sculler's / Boston, MA
April 29 /
The Ninth Note / Stamford, CT
Ralph Peterson · TriAngular III
Onyx Music
& Truth Revolution Records · Release Date: April 8, 2016
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