I don’t care what country you’re looking at, you’re not going to find more passionate players than Winther, Watts, and Andersson.
Hobby horse Records
Carl Winther – Piano; Richard Andersson – Double Bass; Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts – Drums
There’s jazz from America and Denmark on WAW! and it’s a great mix. American Jeff ‘Tain ’Watts is one of the most in demand drummers in the world. Danish bassist Richard Andersson met Watts in a jazz workshop in Denmark in 2008. When Danish pianist Carl Winther and Andersson got together later, they knew recording with ‘Tain ’would be phenomenal.
I read a review of this album that said most of the appeal for this album would go to Watt’s fans. I disagree. Winther’s piano playing is intense and he is fun to listen to. He just might have the best drummer and bassist around, but this is Carl Winther’s album. You can call this a supergroup if you want, but it’s what Winther is doing that holds my attention.
‘Planet P ’is a post-bop tour de force. Winther’s left hand drives the music forward with some dense, powerful chords. The intricate melodic lines coming out of his right hand are a joy. Watts’s drumming is dynamic. His timing is impeccable. He’s got this “snap” on the cymbals that propels the music. Even Andersson’s bass solo is pushing the beat.
‘Manhattan ’is a mid-tempo piano behind the beat kind of groove. Andersson starts with some walking bass lines. He shifts dynamics and moves into more complex phrasing. It’s hard to imagine a pianist having a better drummer backing him or her, than Watts. If he wanted to, he could brag about being the only musician to appear on every Grammy Award winning jazz record by both Wynton and Branford Marsalis.
Everything on WAW! was composed by Winther, except for ‘My Old Flame.’ This was first performed in a 1934 film by Mae West with the Duke Ellington Orchestra backing her.
Winther sticks to the melody in the beginning. Watts’s brushwork is sublime. Andersson can make his bass sing. This is a pretty song. Winther plays with it, twisting and turning it with some gorgeous improvisation.
It’s fun to hear these three push and cajole one another to reach their musical limits on ‘Deconstructing Mr. X.’ This tune is exquisitely intense. I don’t care what country you’re looking at, you’re not going to find more passionate players than Winther, Watts, and Andersson.
If you’re a fan of the piano trio format, there is a lot to like here.
