Acoustic Trio's

[chimp]

I would say im still new to the jazz seen (+- 1 year) and i am looking for jazz trio's i already love Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and McLaughlin but i struggle to find a good album of these three individuals on acoustic. I have a great love for jazz with lots of energy another favorite of mine is Medeski, Martin, and Woods but ive only got a few songs to go on.

If anyone could help me in looking for some trio's it doesn't have to have the most crazy bass playing ever but I do enjoy listening to musicians who can play.

Who are these trio's?
What do they play?
What makes them so good/special?

[Adam Barkley]

California Guitar Trio (gits)
Jacob Fred Jazz Oddessey (drums, piano, bass)
The Bad Plus (drums, piano, bass)

All are worth checking out to see if you dig them.

[glydebass]

John Butler Trio - guitar/lapsteel player, upright bass/ electric bass, and drummer. They are a phenominal band getting big in Australia and are currently touring with Trey Anastasio of Phish. Zebra, Betterman, and Peaches and Cream are great songs to check out.
Nickel Creek - guitar, mandolin, fiddle, occasional session upright player. They lean more towards bluegrass but are just great songwriters. Check out The Lighthouses Tale for a great song.
The Beautiful Girls - guitar, bass, and drums. Another Australian band. They sound very familiar to Jack Johnson. They are a little harder to find but some good songs are Morning Sun (great bass intro), Blackbird, and On A Clear Day.

[Aaron Saunders]

There is one trio that needs to be mentioned -- the Bill Evans Trio. Specifically, the incarnation with Paul Motian and Scott LaFaro.

These guys broke boundaries -- in most acoustic jazz trios, both today and back then, it's a "two rhythm and one soloist" kind of arrangement, where the bass and drums were there strictly to support and back up the pianist. Not so with these guys. The interplay between all three instruments is just mind boggling. To hear these guys -- most specifically, on the album "Sunday At The Village Vanguard," continually blows my mind (and it angers me to a great extent that I managed to LOSE my copy of the CD!) You can also hear them on Explorations, Portait in Jazz, and Waltz For Debby. Both Sunday At The Village Vanguard and Waltz For Debby were recorded at the same (2 week long?) stay at a club in NYC called the Village Vanguard. The two albums were released separately, with Sunday At The Village Vanguard featuring Scott LaFaro and the more bass-intense material they played (including 2 of his own compositions) because he died 10 days later in an auto-accident. Waltz For Debby gives a better indication of what they'd typically play, though.

Don't be surprised if you don't like it at first. I hated it initially, and didn't like his playing, but one day in english class, I was all "What the hell?" so I put it in my CD player and it just...clicked. Everything. Everything came together. The playing just MADE SENSE! Now, I don't know WHAT must've been wrong with me -- I'd blame it on crack, but I've never touched a drug in my life.

Every other time I listened to the CD, all I could say afterwards was "wow." Believe me -- these guys are it when it comes to acoustic jazz trios.

[chimp]

Thanks for the info on all i have been meaning to get round to check out Bill Evans so thanks for giving me the exscuse to do it .

[chimp]

small bump.

[DaveBeny]

If you want to hear Chick Corea in an acoustic trio, then you have to get 'Now He Sings, Now He Sobs'.

For acoustic John McLaughlin, you could try 'Que Alegria', 'Friday Night in San Fransisco'[/i] etc.

[JimK]

Agree 100%, Dave.
The same trio also did some 'out' material on "The Trio" albums(IIRC, one was Live In Europe...they did play some Standards, though, a few of their compositions were titled "Improvisation #1", "Improvisation #2", etc.

..also, Corea-Dave Holland-Barry Altschul on ARC.

[stretchcat]

Some of my favorite jazz piano trios not mentioned:

Keith Jarrett Trio
Kenny Werner Trio
Kenny Drew Jr Trio
Kenny Barron Trio
Ahmad Jamal Trio
Lyle Mays (Fictionary)
Gene Harris Trio
Oscar Peterson Trio
Wynton Kelly's Trios
Michel Camilo's various trios
Eliane Elias Trio
Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio
Joey Calderazzo Trio
Mulgrew Miller Trio
and on and on.....

[Mojo-Man]

Hellborg and Lane-Zen House
Paris DVD
Jonas kills on ABG

[peteroberts]

Brad Mehldau trio has not been mentioned.

[sambass]

i dont know if they count entirely as jazz
but Medeski Martin & Wood are a trio that kick some ass