Craig Taborn Trio, Live at the Velvet Lounge, 5/26/2007

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing the Craig Taborn Trio at the Velvet Lounge. This was the second night of a two night run at the venue, and only the third performance by this particular lineup as far as I know, the first one occurring as part of the first annual Umbrella Music festival that happened last fall.

The lineup consisted of Craig Taborn on piano (a beautiful baby grand, a rare sight at the Velvet - I'm told Mike Reed was responsible for this - nice touch, Mike), Josh Abrams on bass, Mike Reed on drums, and for the second set only last night, a special and unexpected treat of Nicole Mitchell on flute.

As far as I could tell, insofar as there was no sheet music on stage or tunes called, the music was entirely improvised. If they were playing Mr. Taborn's music, I wouldn't have known anyway since I am unfortunately unfamiliar with his own work as a leader. I only know of his playing through his work with Roscoe Mitchell. Maybe someone could help me remedy that situation by recommending a recording of his.

When three patently patient musicians such as these three convene, the music can sometimes take a while to pick up, and I would say that was the case last night. The first set came to a nice simmer about halfway through, and I was consistently impressed by the sensitive use of dynamics by the group. They had no problem improvising at the level of a whisper or a roar, and their interplay displayed an ethic of close listening. Particularly, I found it compelling the extent to which each of the individual members felt comfortable leading, following, reacting, or acting entirely individually, which led to a wide array of improvisations.

Craig Taborn is a fantastic pianist who covers a lot of ground in the course of one concert. His technique is obviously superb and he references myriad genres and stylistic flourishes with a sense of nonchalance. He found two great partners in his musical endeavor in Josh Abrams, one of my favorite, dare I say up and coming,  bassists in Chicago. I don't know if he should be up and coming because in my mind he's already arrived, performing with the likes of Fred Anderson , Nicole Mitchell, Jeff Parker, and many others, in addition to his diverse musical practices with Prefuse 73 and Town & Country. Mike Reed is a member of the aforementioned Umbrella Music group, a tireless advocate and organizer in addition to his excellent drumming and musicianship.

The second set saw the band expand to a quartet with the addition of the definitely-arrived Nicole Mitchell. It was great to see Nicole thrown into the mix here. Her rapport with Craig Taborn was instant, and I would love to see them perform as a duo. Their ideas seemed to meld and compliment immediately, as they took turns leading, following, and generally participating in the music being made.

Nicole's integration of her voice into her flute playing is unparalleled in my listening experiences in this music. She will be singing at one moment and then bring her flute to her mouth and pick up right where the flute playing led off. Sometimes the singing comes almost to a yell (with an excellent sense of pitch, might I add) that brings a sense of catharsis to the proceedings. Who here hasn't wanted to scream out on occasion when listening to some stirring improvisations?

This quartet created some downright otherworldly sounds, and utilized a sense of juxtaposition and contrast throughout the set. At one point, Josh Abrams and Mike Reed held down a minimal groove while Ms. Mitchell and Mr. Taborn spiraled over the top. It was truly sublime music. If the first set simmered, the second set certainly boiled over.

The proceedings were being recorded, I assume for commercial release. I hope that does indeed happen so I can hear what else this group did the night before, and relive some of the thrilling music made last night.