Colin Vallon Trio, Le Vent

Time does not stand still. We do not stand still. Music does not stand still. That is the way in life and we should embrace what we can of the new when it is good. Pianist Colin Vallon and his trio come at us with the new on their second album Le Vent (ECM B0020040-02). And to me it is good.

The trio includes Patrice Moret on double bass and Julian Sartorius on drums. They work together in realizing a music that has an impressionistic moodiness, a minimalist sense of cycle and a uniquely tonal palette that invites contemplation.

This is music that has improvisation in it, yes, especially from Colin. Yet it is overall compositional in ways that do not typify a jazz piano trio in the mainstream or even of the free-new-thing sort.

There are moments that remind slightly of the fresh Jarrett of Facing You and some of his trance-pattern improvisations of the early solo years. But Vallon and company go somewhere with it that is farther along as a trio expression, more single-mindedly brooding and perhaps more singular than a reference to Jarrett would suggest.

For Vallon and trio have a musical agenda rather thoroughgoingly their own. There is a sometimes quiet expressiveness that has jazz roots but the bop/postbop figurative signposts one expects in this kind of gathering are virtually gone, removed.

So there is some adjustment you must make to the premise that this is creative, cyclical, periodistic yet spacy harmonic music.

Once you get there you find yourself in a quite interesting zone. I found this album very moving once I got into the idea of it. Vallon is on his own journey. I look forward to future albums to see where it takes him. Meanwhile we have Le Vent, which I very much recommend you hear.