Lyrical trio jazz

Pianist Kit Downes new trio album is among the most lyrical music you can hear.

Kit Downes – Vermillion (ECM, 2022)

This is trio music in the true sense of the word. It is played by equal partners rather than by a soloist with accompanists.

It is especially obvious in the dialogues between Downes and bassist Petter Eldh which is very interactive. But drummer James Maddren is just as conversational in his playing which includes leaving a lot of space for the others.

This trio has previously recorded the album Enemy (2018) but there they played more extroverted beat-oriented music. The music on Vermillion is much more introverted and lyrical in the tradition from the Bill Evans Trio.

Delicate touch

All songs but one are original compositions by Downes and Eldh. He writes very subtle, lyrical music and the performance by the trio really reflects the compositions. Downes and Eldh works a lot with tonal colors on a song like the slowly cascading Sister, Sister. At times Downes reminds me of Keith Jarrett at his prettiest, but he also has his own thing going.

This is Downes’ third album for ECM. On his two previous releases on the label, he played a church organ which is original but left me unprepared for his delicate touch on the piano.

This is not just Downes’ best release yet but also one of the most interesting albums I have heard so far this year. It is high praise. Listen to the music and you will understand why.