Aeroplane Trio Gig Review

Aeroplane Trio was the featured band last night at Presentation House Studio.  The band has been around for about 10 years now and features some very fine musicians:  JP Carter (trumpet), Russell Sholberg (bass), and Skye Brooks (drums).   The music last night was very carefully and slowly constructed, mostly arising from very small, delicate and gentle sounds.  Using free improv as the basis for much of their playing, the group creates extended drone-like textures and repeated rhythmic patterns which evolve very gradually.  JP has an extraordinary range of extended techniques on the trumpet: digeridoo-like, circular-breathed pedal tones and all manner of squeals grunts, and squelches in combination with various mutes.  He seems to carefully ration his use of his remarkable sound arsenal, squeezing every possible variation out of each texture while avoiding repetition and recycling.  When he finally lets the trumpet speak in a conventional way, the sound is very fat and brassy and he diplays his gift for lyrical and poignant melody.  Russell and Skye not only have a great rhythmic 'hookup', but also have developed a common vocabulary of unique grooves and clever ways of cueing and altering these in subtle ways.  I thought Russ' new bass sounded especially great.

I have played with all of these guys in various settings and what always strikes me about them is that they are great listeners.  Of course a lot of musicians are great listeners, but these three are special in that they each seem to approach the bandstand without preconceptions and with a willingness to contribute only what naturally arises from a group's musical dynamic.  One never gets a feeling of ego or musical 'selfishness' when listening to them or playing with them.

I had a great time listening and especially liked hearing a band that plays completely together in such an organic and unified way.  It is obvious that they have played together a lot and have worked hard to create a cohesive group sound and aesthetic.  Unfortunately, the turnout was the worst we've had at the concert series for several months.  Maybe there was a hockey game?  It was a shame really as I think the music was of a very high calibre and also that the band was one of the best-suited groups we've had there in terms of the acoustics of that room.  Presentation House Studio can feel a little small when a band gets loud, but these guys had a such a great control of the dynamics that you could hear every detail with wonderful clarity.  Whether for good or ill, some of the best music in the jazz and improv traditions seems to be made for small but appreciative audiences in do-it-yourself conditions.  This has been true for many gigs that I have played and also many where I have been one of the few listeners.  I think perhaps the sense of intimacy and trust which is more natural under these conditions helps to feed the music in a different way than the energy of a big crowd. Those of us who were there had a special experience.  Thanks guys!

The band has a new CD out on Jesse Zubot's fantastic dripaudio label.  Check it out. http://www.dripaudio.com/releases.php