A longstanding tradition for zealot music fans seems to be assembling their own wish list of musicians to get together in a single super-group to satisfy all of that fans musical cravings in one fell swoop. Rarely successful in the pop/rock world, but in a genre built upon vagabonding musicians, jazz is perfectly suited for these super-groups.
No reason for this list really. The following artists are simply three that I can’t seem to get enough of at the moment in time and thought more people should explore their collective works. It will most likely change sometime in the future, but to satisfy my current musical cravings, it would include the following musicians (all of which are actually terrific songwriters in their own right): Esbjörn Svensson (piano) Okay, okay… from the get-go I know my list is flawed because Esbjörn just recently died in a freak scuba accident last June… may he rest in peace. But, my current musical sweet tooth can’t seem to get enough of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio’s (or E.S.T.) simple improvisational styles blended with electronic modulations that was increasingly filling rock arenas throughout Europe. I’m currently trying to amass as much of their recorded music as possible, and I certainly recommend you do the same! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ4435-K4i0?wmode=transparent] Avishai Cohen (bass) I actually discovered Avishai while listening to my E.S.T. Pandora Station. I kept hearing songs from his 2006 album Continuo playing over and over, when eventually I just had to head over to lala.com to listen to the album in its entirety, and has since become one of my favorites. This Israel born bassist seems to enjoy writing complicated rhythmic and melodic passages that I think would get along very well with Esbjorn. Be sure to check out all of his other albums as well. As time goes by, he seems to be embracing his middle-eastern roots more and more. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxXWcbcz27E?wmode=transparent]Manu Katché (drums) Originally known for his work with Peter Gabriel and Sting, and more recently for his work as the “Simon Cowell” on a French version of American Idol, he did depart from these mainstream connections to assemble a couple extraordinary jazz albums that I’ve been enjoying very much lately. While he seems perfectly competent when needing to rock out, in my opinion he shines best when holding things together in more intimate settings, thus why I think he would be a great drummer for this imaginary trio. There are a few other drummers I might put in this slot as well, but at the moment I’m enjoying his albums and seemed like he’d be a good fit here. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKdPq31LHU0?wmode=transparent] Who would be in your home brewed super-group?
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