20
The Steve Koven Trio
Bungalow Records
4.5 out of 5 Stars
One of the most classic institutions in the history of jazz is the
art of the jazz piano trio. Off the top
of my head there is piano trios led by Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad
Jamal, Red Garland, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Brad Mehldau to name a
few. Through these artists they brought
longevity, innovation, creativity, popularity, and group interplay into their
groups, while creating music that is timeless and rewarding.
In this varied list of trios led by pianists, you can now add a
fellow Canadian into this illustrious mix of holding and engendering a trio for
now 20 years. The trio I am referring
to is the Steve Koven Trio led by Steve on piano and compositions, bassist Rob
Clutton, and drummer Anthony Michelli.
In this deluxe CD/DVD, Steve Koven presents 10 well-crafted
straight-ahead compositions that is ripe for radio play while engendering
creativity, swing, rhythm and soul at the same time. From the get go, check out the opener
“Cervantino”, with its electric Latin montunos and percussive rhythms that
highlight the track. There is also the
swinging bebop of “Left or Right” which could have been rightfully placed in a
1950’s jazz record; the gospel/folk leanings of “This Time Next Year” that
echoes one of Steve’s main influences Keith Jarrett; the St. Thomas flavoured
composition “Bongo Bob”; the R&B drenched soul of “Mrs. Sarnicky”; and the
classically influenced closer of the set, “Artists”, echoing the recent flavours
of pianist Brad Mehldau.
The DVD is a 25-minute documentary that illustrates the history of
the trio, which started in an Ethiopian Restaurant in Toronto in which the band
netted $5 each to playing in festivals and concerts halls all across Canada,
Latin America and the Caribbean. Like
greats such as Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, Louis Armstrong, and Keith
Jarrett, Steve Koven is more than just a well-oiled pianist, composer, educator
and improviser. He plays an effective
role representing the new directions of Canadian jazz to a whole wide world
without the need of leaving his own backyard and into newer greener
pastures. For that alone, not only he
has my utmost adoration, but my utmost honour and respect for celebrating and
supporting the rich culture of Canadian arts.
What I also appreciated about this CD is that there is a lot of
richness and depth in his compositions despite his tunes ranging from 3 to
nearly 5 minutes. As Shakespeare said
it plainly in one of his plays, “Brevity is the soul of wit”, and through that
alone Steve has achieved a whole lot and more through this brisk CD.
“20” is a fitting and wonderful celebration for Steve, Rob and
Anthony that strives for artistic quality and exploration while sounding fresh
and accessible at the same time.
Here’s to another 20 years and counting for one of the most important
Canadian piano trios to grace the international stage.
THE STEVE KOVEN TRIO WEB SITE:
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