RumorsPalmetto *****

A member of the Jazz Composers’ Collective in NYC, part of Maria Schneider’s orchestra and an exceptional, Bill Evans-inspired pianist, Kimbrough made this marvellous, off-the-cuff session with Masa Kamaguchi (bass) and Jeff Hirshfield (drums) in only three hours. If his playing has more freedom to it than Evans cared to show, Kimbrough’s trio approach is just as interactive, with Kamaguchi’s powerful, dramatic bass the perfect partner for the pianist’s lyricism and Hirshfield providing a discreet commentary on the dialogue.

The emphasis is on rubato playing, perhaps unduly so for some, but despite this there is an abundance of eloquent beauty to be found in the trio's responses to Kimbrough's distinctive Hope, Rumors, Forsythiaand For Andrew, while their exploration of Six, from classical composer Federico Mompou's Musica Callada, is close to sublime. See palmetto-records.com