Pianist Bob Nell and bassist Michael Bisio were both just starting out in their respective jazz careers when they met in 1975, careers that took them each on divergent paths. But Montana-based Nell and NYC-based Bisio kept their bond alive and that bond has culminated a whole fifty years later into an album co-led by them that establishes how accomplished both have become over the decades.
We Are Here (Origin Records) is a showcase for both as seasoned musicians but also a presentation of the composing mastery of Nell, who penned all the dozen songs contained in this collection. This record being credited to the plural ‘Bob Nell & Michael Bisio Trios’ is not a typo; Adam Greenberg is the drummer for the first seven tracks and Austin Belluscio keeps time for the last five. These mainstream jazz numbers are deeper in the conventional vein than what Bisio — a respected fixture in New York’s downtown scene — is typically heard playing, but he clearly thrives in this piano/bass/drums setting that’s a world apart than the Matthew Shipp Trio.
Nell doesn’t get stuck on composing and arranging his songs the same way, his varying approaches keeps the record from bogging down. “Injury or Malpractice?” alternates between two opposing figures before launching into a swingin’ good time keyed by Bisio’s taut strut and Nell’s hard bop attack. The requiem “Trance-Lamentique” is remindful of Wayne Shorter’s own 1964 lament “House of Jade,” a blues-based chord progression over a waltz and Nell does a terrific job wringing the blues from it. The blues underpinning of “Blues for KB” is more obvious, but snappier.
“Elegy for Elephanthead” has all the elegance mastered by the Tin Pan Alley composers and rendered with sensitive delicacy from Nell and Bisio. “The Aerial Lariat” (video above) floats on a breezy Brazilian cadence and highlights by Greenberg’s tom-tom based solo feature. The snappy swing gets going again with “Achromaticism” with precise, crisp bass walking from Bisio. The theme has a deceptively tricky note progression that adds an unexpected but welcome wrinkle to the tune.
“Interweave” — as does “Lucy’s Waltz” — boasts a buoyant melody that’s just made for waltzing and that’s just how it’s treated as Belluscio takes over behind the kit form here on out. Nell uses his solo space to embrace that fetching strain, no heated runs needed here. Bisio follows the same tactic to wonderful effect.
Nell sprinkles little shards of avant-garde into “The Bird Giant,” giving it a distinctively Paul Bley flavor. “Dawnland” is a minor key beauty, taking back door passages to return to its elegant theme.
We Are Here is more than a meeting of old friends, it’s a testament of the enduring attractiveness of the venerable jazz piano trio when played with an abundance of facility, sourcing fresh songwriting that hearkens back to beloved jazz standards.
Order Bob Nell & Michael Bisio Trios’ We Are Here in CD or digital file form from here.
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