Jon De Fiore's Yellow Petals

Drummer-composer Jon De Fiore leads his piano trio of bassist Adrian Moring and pianist Billy Test on a new recording, Yellow Petals (Third Freedom Music). The three have been playing together for four years resulting in the cohesiveness and empathy exhibited in playing De Fiore’s compositions that covers a range of settings and musical inspirations ranging from adaptation of a work by Chopin, to the musics of Spain and South Africa.

One can hear a definite influence of Bill Evans in the general tone of De Fiore’s trio with being a fluid, lyrical player while bassist Moring provides the axis for the trio’s interactions with De Foire himself quite a rhythmic colorist. The opening Demise, adapted from a Chopin prelude, provides little clue to its classical origins in the trio's inventive performance. The second composition Live For Tomorrow, Forget Today, is built upon a ostinato bass motif and De Foire’s shimmering cymbal work with some free,almost anarchic, piano from Test, along with dynamic drumming from the leader.

The music of Spain is the inspiration of Orange that opens with the leader’s intricate stick work that helps set the mood for Moring’s opening solo over the leader’s spare playing before fireworks in De Fiore’s solo and then Test. The spirited InKleined, is inspired by the Argentinean pianist and composer, Guillermo Klein,  who is a major influence on De Fiore. This performance exhibits the marvelous interplay between the three. Moring’s walking bass drives the spirited Where Does The Wind Blow, with Test generating plenty of heat as well.

The closing Yellow Petals, written in memory to De Fiore’s mother, is a moving and evocative performance which opens with spare solo piano before De Fiore and Moring join in with their own muted accompaniment and solo. It is a fitting end to a high-spirited, engaging piano trio recording

I received my review copy from a publicist.