Trio of Bloom
Trio of Bloom
Pyroclastic Records
Keyboardist Craig Taborn, guitarist Nels Cline, and drummer Marcus Gilmore are Trio of Bloom. All three men are well respected in the jazz world and beyond — Cline plays guitar with avant-rock group Wilco. The inspiration for this collaboration came from producer David Breskin. Breskin has worked with each musician on other projects and thought they would really inspire each other If they got together.
The album opens with the propulsive fusion riffing of “Nightwhistler.” All three musicians are rocking this groovy piece. The high energy of the opening track fades quickly. “Queen King” smolders with an Afrobeat rhythm, but music of the remaining album slides into experiments in ambient soundscapes and textures. How these tracks strike me depends entirely on my mood. If I’m feeling in sync with their vibe, I find these tracks pretty and dreamy. On the other hand, if I’m not in the right mood, I find the pieces rather boring. I’m not in the mood for ambient music very often these days, so I’m left disappointed, wishing they had gone all in on the jazz rock fusion they open the set with.
