It would appear that the Nordics are a hotbed for some hot expressions of great creative noise. Trinity explodes with both joyful creativity and is delivered in a 24-bit/96kHz format to ensure that the sound is dialled in to the very max.
The trio featured here includes Finnish pianist Iiro Rantala, who is no stranger to the review pages of the Ear, his album Anyone with a Heart having been very favourably reviewed in the past. His compatriot from the land of the 10,000 lakes, Kaisa Mäensivu, now a resident of the big apple joins on bass, with Morten Lund, from Denmark, on drums, completing the merry trio.
Trinity is a hoot from start to finish. The trio providing fluent, confident, charming and largely straight renditions of mainly well-known jazz standards. The style veers towards the melodic and harmonic and is bound to bring out smiling and foot tapping in anyone that listens.
The sumptuous recording offers a huge amount of space for the musicians to do their magic, be it on the ivories, strings or sticks. Recorded in a chateau that according to the blurb combined perfect acoustics and atmosphere, and, one suspects, some inspiration in the form of some red and white refreshments.
The style is mostly reminiscent of jazz trios from the sixties, it mixes Ahmad Jamal/Thelonious Monk/John Lewis with shades or at least grains of Dave Brubeck and Bill Evans. Trinity is less of a blues and more of a virtuosic, rhythmic romp. A distinct homage to bebop is on hand to ensure that no one feels shortchanged with the trio’s renditions of Scrapple From The Apple (Charlie Parker), and Blue In Green (Evans/Davis).
The 46 and a bit minutes long album has a warm and analogue sound, it conveys the sense of space of the space it was recorded in, but is affected by a slightly artificial piano sound. But this small niggle will be gone and forgotten within a minute or two.
All in all, Trinity is a grand performance that will charm many and, I suspect, be played often. The album gets my vote for one of the best I have heard this year, exceedingly highly recommended.
Reuben Klein