Word: motian
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Charlie Haden, with Geri Allen, Paul Motian; and with Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Paul Motian...
...feels less like a vehicle for showcasing the pianist and more like a veteran, integrated combo--no surprise, since they had played and recorded together well prior to the engagement, unlike the group with Rubalcaba. Allen's set is also evenly divided between the compositions of Allen, Haden and Motian, while Rubalcaba's featured three Haden tunes and three standards...
This is most evident in Motian's frenetic "Fiasco," in which Allen's improvisation degenerates into seemingly random clusters of notes amidst heightened activity in the rhythm section. But Haden takes his most intriguing solo of the two sets during this tune, coaxing unworldly, industrial and percussive sounds from his instrument...
Haden's elegant "First Song," are of a moreexploratory and less melodic vein than thosechosen by the Rubalcaba trio. Motian seems to bemore involved in Allen's trio, venturing into theforeground even when not soloing...
...rather spare drumming of Motian, who hasworked with such luminaries as Bill Evans andKeith Jarrett, is well matched to both trios.Motian embellishes and decorates the beat ratherthan filling space by pounding out rhythms, so hiseffective contributions can be easily overlooked.His solos are distinctive--they are not dense,roaming waves of sound in the vein of Elvin Jones,nor are they marked by a closing of the hi-hat onevery off-beat as in standard drum technique.Starting and stopping in flurries, Motian's soloinventions are also distinguished by the light,almost tinny sound quality of his drums...