One of the more troubling aspects of writing music reviews is to label or describe the music with a convenient genre. Yes, genres provide a frame of reference for readers and listeners but they mean little to the musicians themselves. This piano trio recording, Magnolia, from Okonski, is a great case in point. It would be easy to label it a ‘jazz’ record as that’s what piano trios are usually associated with. Yet, to these ears, this doesn’t sound like the jazz piano trios of the likes of Bill Charlap, Brad Mehldau, Kenny Barron, Emmet Cohen, or just about any other trio one cares to mention. That’s not to discredit Okonski’s sound. Theirs is just different, don’t expect anything resembling swing. Its simplicity yields deep emotion and almost a gospel-like, spiritual element akin to gospel music, which it is not either . When The Bad Plus first came on the scene, their sound presented a similar problem. Oft was described as minimalist in approach with rock tendencies, they fell into a ‘pop jazz’ descriptor. Okonski might be closer to that but again, it’s not that either. Their sound lacks those bombastic qualities. One might think that because two of the three play in the R&B group Durand Jones & The Indications that we’d be hearing a set of R&B grooves. That’s not it either. So, now that we’ve told you what it’s not, here’s more to the story.
Pianist Steve Okonski, the leader of his eponymous trio Okonski, teamed with drummer Aaron Fraser, also a member of Durand Jones’ band, along with bassist Michael Isvara “Ish” Montgomery in the Colemine label’s Loveland, Ohio studios on what was initially planned to be beat driven and fully composed trio instrumentals. The first try, during the summer of 2021 found the trio veering off course into spontaneous, improvisational territory which pleased all involved, especially the energy they drew from late-night recording. That first session yielded the closing track of this album, “Sunday,” which became the catalyst for booking a second week of sessions that tapped into the group’s collective intuition. The result is seven tracks which clock in under a half hour. Often musicians don’t find what they’re after until they gather and play, reaching a communal in-the-moment chemistry. In that sense, Magnolia bears similarities to jazz.
The album opens with the heavily chord-laden “Runner Up,” which begins majestically but morphs into melancholic tonality where the bass and drums become more prominent until the pianist forcefully restates the opening melody. Overall, the album breathes a very meditative quality, the first hint of such comes with the relaxed, explorative, aptly named “Field Museum.” “Old Friend” is similar though a bit warmer with its elegiac tones. “Dark Moon” evokes stark but beautifully haunting imagery, emblematic of the late-night vibe that enveloped most of the recording. It’s also the prime example of Fraser’s beat driven approach on the kit. “Song for My Sister’s Son” turns pensive and deeply searching as does “Walking to a Home,” which begins calmly and builds in intensity only to diminish quietly. “Sunday” begins brighter, as if to break this meditative sequence, but surely enough it slips into that trance-like, contemplative mode too, as evocative as any of the pieces.
Effective music is the kind that moves you. If nothing else, that’s what Magnolia does. It’s best appreciated in late-night solitary listening when you can get lost in your own thoughts. A half-hour may not be long enough. If that’s the case, hit repeat as this music is capable of evoking a myriad of emotions.
