Search - Roy Haynes, Phineas Newborn, Paul Chambers :: We Three

This album amazes me.

Andrew Clark Adair | Brooklyn, NY United States | 01/15/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unlike the Oscar Peterson Trio, which played with all of the polish of a well rehearsed chamber orchestra, this group is sounds loose and off-the-cuff. In that respect this date feels more like a last minute thrown-together aggregation in an Uptown joint, who come together and blow on a blues, some standards, and read a couple of the pianist's original charts. But what could have been an ordinary trio date turns into a masterpiece thanks to the talents of three jazz greats.Phineas' tone on the piano is rich and round. His ideas are always crystal clear, and his playing is just dripping with soul. The unaccompanied intro and outro to "Solitaire" blow my mind -- his work on this track alone is worth the price of the album. The slow blues which follows is also an absolute gem. Phineas gets inside every crack of the blues changes on this one and turns out a tear jerking ode to the spirit of blues and swing. Roy Haynes, the leader on the date, is the quintessential modern drummer. With one foot in the past and one foot in the future, he seems to bestride the entire history of jazz like a Colossus. His playing is never cliche, never canned, and always swinging. PC, as always, plays ever-swingingly with a big booming sound and empathic support.I can't recommend this side enough to any music lover. Any detractor of Phineas for his so called "lack of musicianship" will be compelled to reconsider his position after dealing with this... Don't miss it!"