CD Review – Tell, Myriad3
Myriad3 recently played at the University of Regina on Nov. 9 to a rather tepid audience, likely due to the snowstorm that seemed to follow the trio on their album release tour. Now that their debut record, Tell, is available for purchase online, you have a chance to hear what you were missing out on: an inventive, creative, and dynamic trio that has one foot firmly planted in the tradition of jazz piano trios and one foot stepping into the future.
These men are not fedora-sporting roaring, 1940s jazz revivalists, listing on their driving playlist such artists as the drone metal Sunn 0))), post-dubstep James Blake and their contemporaries in the piano trio genre, The Bad Plus. Influence from these artists can be easily heard in the shimmering soundscape of "For The Dreamers" as it envelops the listener in its odd metered structure. Perhaps, most impressive is their reworking of "C Jam Blues", which copies fellow Canadian Oscar Peterson’s seminal recording note for note, except played as if suddenly slowed down or sped up showcasing the group’s incredible technicality and ability to mesh as a group.
The fine gentlemen of Myriad3 currently sit on the iTunes chart just below Kenny G's Christmas album. Do yourself a favour and instead of reaching for the smooth jazz wankery of Kenny G, lose yourself in the musical planes created by Myriad3.
Jon Neher
Contributor