Moran-Coleman-Workman Trio

Jason Moran has what it takes to exploit the concert grand's broad palette of sounds to the full. His playing combines vigorous hammering excursions over the keyboard with light-footed melodic lines and more subdued harmonies. Not that Moran goes in for spectacle. He prefers long, flowing lines, meditative, emotionally-charged tones and a self-evident, introspective virtuosity. The alto-saxophonist Steve Coleman will be joining this trio instead of Sam Rivers, who was originally billed. Coleman is a highly individual jazz musician of the younger generation. He has found a formula for success with his group Five Elements: it was initially a quintet, but in the meantime has transformed into a large, flexible ensemble that is adapted to each project. His music is hard to define. You hear the incredibly complicated rhythms, bizarre piano modulations and all the other brilliant inventions by Coleman the composer. And of course at the same time you hear the clever technique and musical virtuosity of Coleman himself as soloist. Ever since he played in Coltrane's 'Live at the Village Vanguard' sessions (1961), bassist Reggie Workman has been a much-sought-after sideman. A list of all the great musicians he has played with would be too long, and in any case, it would simply come down to a 'who's who' of jazz. Workman particularly likes his bass to sound as natural as possible. This trio, in which he likes to assume the role of a variable turning circle, is a perfect foil for his style, which ranges from subtle to heavily resonant.