Ace piano player and composer Aaron Goldberg has long made waves leading a threesome with an impeccable rhythm section of Reuben Rogers (bass) and Eric Harland (drums), and he’s set to do that again for the fifth time.
On January 20, 2015, Goldberg will release The Now (Sunnyside Records), a mostly trio mix of Goldberg originals and covers capped off by a Kurt Rosenwinkel appearance for “One Life.” The highlights get going long before then, though, and one of them is the second track, “Yoyo,” available for your listening pleasure in the stream above.
A funky opening figure by Aaron Goldberg transitions to a nimble yet relaxed flowing of chords. But this breezy, buoyant melody isn’t Goldberg’s, it’s a traditional Caribbean strain from Haiti. In keeping with the island mood within the jazz context, the song follows the pattern set by Sonny Rollins many years ago with “St. Thomas,” and that’s where Harland gets it done with a crisp, calypso rhythm. When the pianist returns to the opening theme, Rogers can be heard in a nifty mixture of comping and soloing up to the outro as the other two double down on the danceable pulse.
With laid-back, assured musicianship and a simpatico now over fifteen years running, the festive spirit of Port-Au-Prince gets channeled amiably through a jazz filter on “Yoyo.”
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