Upon the release of their first album, Magnolia, it was tempting to consider it piano trio jazz in the conventional swinging or even avant-garde sense, it is not, nor is it an imitator of the early The Bad Plus sound or the kind of R&B you associate with the major group comprising pianist Steve Okonski and drummer Aaron Frazer, Durand Jones & the Indications. The third trio member, by the way, is Michael Isvara “Ish” Montgomery. The album was again recorded in Terry Cole’s Loveland, OH studios on his label, Colemine with the new album entitled Entrance Music.
So, although it’s much easier to describe what it’s not, we can attempt to do justice to these calming, relaxing sounds. The leader, Okonski, helps as he compares it to the ECM and Stones Throw catalogs. Being more familiar with the former, that analogy is a good one, especially considering the many European, minimalist kind of piano trios that appear on ECM. The trio’s sound does bear resemblance in that sense because it bears an improvisational, in-the-moment quality. If you’re really trying to peg it, it lies somewhere between jazz and ‘new age.’ To these ears, however, ‘new age’ music always felt devoid of emotion, which is not the case with Okonski, which stirs up a myriad of them. Even the title of the album suggests that these songs will announce themselves. We need to be ready and need to pay attention.
While Magnolia exuded a dark, late-night vibe, the tunes on Entrance Music more often summon morning or daylight. The grand piano sounds especially lush on the opener “October,” with its bright chords and glimmering runs that could just as easily connote spring as the season in the title. Drummer Frazer keeps in steady, almost as if putting guardrails around the pianist so he doesn’t stray far into an exploratory mode. “Vista’” plays to the drummer’s snapper groove, again heavily chord driven with brief right hand flurries from the pianist, it all remains on the smiley side. Mid-piece, it morphs into a march-like cadence, as Oskonski tinkers first in the high registers and then to very dense left-hand chords. “Lakebridge” has a lovely, pastoral melody, evoking a leisurely walk on a spring day amidst blue skies and chirping birds. The beauty of Okonski’s playing is how much he can communicate in just a few notes. As the adage says, you don’t need a lot of notes, just the right ones. Frazer’s drumming is interesting too. He clearly seems more at home with beat-driven R&B than jazz. Sometimes, he steers the ship, while at others, he seems to be following the pianist’s lead.
“Wind of Vertigo” changes up the sound palette as it moves more in an ethereal direction with faint haunting qualities. The bassist, Montgomery, leads us into the dramatic “Passing Through” with his rich, authoritative tones, while the pianist is intent on taking this passage at a slow, deliberate pace, growing more determined as the piece evolves. “Summer Storm” is surprisingly bright and melodic at the outset but the change of dynamics presages the approaching clouds, the intensity grows through the series of piano arpeggios, and alas, the storm passes as the trio exits quietly. “Dahlia” brings a fond lyricism over Frazer’s crisp beats while the trio captures “Dusk” perfectly. It’s time to put one’s feet up. Not yet, though, as the brief “Penny,” almost as an epilogue, closes the set in a similar tone to “Dahlia.” Clearly, someone in the group has warm memories of these two ladies.
Okonski’s Entrance Music runs for a blissful half hour that just leaves the listener wanting more of its quiet, subtly intense luminescence. The best kind of instrumental music is transportive and in this case, entrancing.
