My first love in jazz was Bill Evans Trio. Over several decades this group redefined the space in which jazz piano trio could occupy. Previously to Bill, the piano trio mainly served to support a virtuosic, headlining pianist. Bill Evans, Scott LaFaro, and Paul Motian flipped the script on this by making the piano trio more democratic, more conversational, more intimate.

In Bill’s vision, the trio’s interactions became the centerpiece. The lines were blurred, roles overlapped. Everyone simultaneously soloed and comped, always in flux, moment to moment. In improvised music, the larger the band gets, the harder it is to be interact in this way and remain coherent.

That is why I cherish opportunities to play in piano trio settings like Keith Chasin’s group. Keith, Zach Martin (the drummer who you may remember from some of my band’s videos), and I are all Temple University alums and have spent many years playing together in a variety of situations.

This level of familiarity is essential to performing in the piano trio setting. I hope this comes across in these two videos from our last performance together.