Night Whispers (New York Trio Recordings, Vol. 3) [feat. Drew Gress & Bill Stewart]

From Erroll Garner to Cecil Taylor to Bill Evans, and from Chick Corea to Thelonious Monk, a wide variety of acoustic jazz pianists have thrived in the time-honored piano trio setting (piano, bass, and drums) over the years. It's a setting that has never gone out of style in jazz, and it's a setting that has served acoustic pianist Marc Copland well in his New York Trio Recordings series. The lineup has varied from one volume to the next; on New York Trio Recordings, Vol. 3: Night Whispers, Copland is joined by bassist Drew Gress and drummer Bill Stewart (whereas he was joined by bassist Gary Peacock and Stewart on Vol. 1 and by Peacock and drummer Paul Motian on Vol. 2). The constant in the series, of course, has been Copland, who is in good form throughout this 2008 recording and enjoys a nice rapport with Gress and Stewart. Copland obviously enjoys the role of acoustic trio pianist, and his enthusiasm is evident on three Copland originals ("Scattered Leaves," "The Bell Tolls," and the title track) as well as on impressionistic performances of the standards "Emily" (no less than three different takes are included) and "I Fall in Love Too Easily." The whole album, in fact, is very impressionistic — even Miles Davis' "So What." The Davis standard has often had a strong groove factor; "So What" has been recorded by countless artists since Davis unveiled it on Kind of Blue back in 1959, and many of them have used it as a chance to groove. But Copland's version is more angular and less groove-minded than most versions. Night Whispers falls short of essential, but it's still an enjoyable addition to Copland's New York Trio Recordings series.