Musicians: Mark Isaacs, piano; Ben Waples, bass, James Hauptmann, drums.
Mark Isaacs’ latest trio recording – Visions – is a successful exploration of pop tunes from the ‘60s and ‘70s. The tunes are: Visions (Stevie Wonder), Fool on the Hill (Lennon/McCartney), Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell), Fire and Rain (James Taylor), The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Ewan MacColl), Leaving on a Jet Plane (John Denver), Sounds of Silence (Simons) and Moon River (Mancini).
Most modern jazz followers, certainly those interested in the evolution of the piano trio, will enjoy this CD. The arrangements are interesting and enhance the original tunes without overpowering them.
The title track, Both Sides Now and The First Time are particularly evocative reworkings. The treatment of Visions, for example, is a powerfully engaging restatement (compare the uninspired version of the same tune on Joshua Redman’s Timeless Tales).
Fire and Rain and Leaving on a Jet Plane enliven material that would be regarded as very unpromising DNA by Alec Wilder, Bill Charlap or others addicted to the greats of Tin Pan Alley. Even Moon River, that graveyard of jazz interpretation, emerges with some credibility (subject to recovery from Wayne Shorter’s radical reconstruction on Art Blakey’s Buhaina’s Delight).
The trio playing is tight and effortless, with Ben Waples and James Hauptmann providing sympathetic and tasteful support throughout. Isaacs is very much the leader and drives the flow of improvisation. The piano playing is up to his usual high standard and even the casual listener will delight in his many distinctive voicings and fine touch.
All members of the trio mesh and complement each other well. There are no real solos by Waples or Hauptmann. Ben Waples is a strong soloist and James Hauptmann seems well capable of exploiting more space.
The recent live performance of the tunes from Visions at the Basement in Sydney revealed some of this potential for the trio. It also gave Mark Isaacs more opportunity to stretch out, which he did with flair and impact.
The CD is well recorded. I turned up the volume on my hi-fi system to get the full benefit of Ben Waples’ bass playing. In summary, Visions is a welcome and recommended addition to modern piano jazz.
Mark Isaacs’ previous trio CDs include: Keeping the Standards (2004, with Jay Anderson & Adam Nussbaum); For Sure (1993, with Adam Armstrong & Adam Gander); and Encounters (1988, with Dave Holland & Roy Haynes).
