Search - Bob Nieske 3 :: Simplicity

Boston-based Bob Nieske has been an integral part of the area's cerebral jazz activities, working with legendary musicians like George Russell and Jimmy Giuffre, as well as the Either/Orchestra. He's an outstanding bassist. Like Charlie Haden and Wilbur Ware, he favors the instrument's lower register, picking his notes for maximum structural significance. The same thoughtful approach carries over to his spare compositions and the stark trio he leads with trumpeter Phil Grenadier and drummer Nat Mugavero. It's minimalist jazz, and each piece has a deliberate air. Grenadier's style comes from Miles Davis and Don Cherry, and each note is embedded with meaning, whether it's a brassy declaration or a muttered aside. The veteran Mugavero swings, but he does it almost by suggestion. The group uses space and resonance almost as collaborators, and there's no sense of uncomfortable hesitation, just the lines accumulating to make a satisfying whole. The slow "Wee Three" is so sparse that it suggests a Japanese collective form of ink drawing. The Lydian String Quartet joins the trio on six tracks, and the merger works very well. Nieske keeps using the strings in different ways, and the extended composed parts create almost a secondary soundscape to the trio's. "Simplicity" is an ethos here as well as the title track, and the tune's airy lightness suggests Nino Rota's carnival-inspired music for Fellini. Redefining his palette, Nieske uses the strings to create an atmosphere that's almost lush on "I Don't Know." The two versions of "The Stretch," played both with and without the strings, are highlights, with the concluding trio performance containing an extended Nieske solo filled with original touches. Though evocative of the late 1950s, this music sounds fresh, as notable for what's left out as for what remains. --Stuart Broomer