Paul Motian - Paul Motian on Broadway Vols 1, 2, 3

PAUL MOTIAN
Paul Motian on Broadway Vols 1, 2, 3 Winter & Winter
*****

Out of the catalogue in recent years and now fully restored with the reissue of Volume 3 (the first two were re-released last year) these three CDs document what was, in retrospect, one of the great small groups of the late-'80s and early-'90s, when drummer Paul Motian's working band was Joe Lovano (tenor), Bill Frisell (guitar) and Charlie Haden (bass), with Lee Konitz (alto/soprano) spicing the third session.

Time has been good to their music, with the star-studded line-up putting its individual and collective stamp on Broadway works by Gershwin, Porter, Kern, Arlen, Rodgers, Warren and others. Only Frisell didn't really cut his teeth on standards, but he brings such a varied tonal palette to the group's deliberations that he's an integral part of the sonic climate. His rapport with Lovano and Konitz is extraordinary, as is Motian's uncanny ability to knit things together in his unique, idiosyncratic way.

With Haden the anchor, they handle even the loosest rubato with a crisp sense of inner tension, or just groove superbly straight-ahead. Equally remarkable is the sheer level of inventiveness at their disposal; there's a freshness full of the joy of discovery and the pleasure of mutual interaction about their work that fills it with constant surprise. There's little to choose between any of the CDs - this band was that good. www.harmoniamundi.com
Ray Comiskey