Project Trio Asks When Will Then Be Now.

Project Trio might simply be described as a Chamber Jazz and Music hybrid on its self-released When Will Then Be Now. The trio is comprised of Peter Seymour on bass, Greg Pattillo on flute and Eric Stephenson on cello and they perform a mix of classical numbers from Beethoven, Bach and Rossini with a bebop cover and five originals that display an invigorating, rhythmically charged performances that display the trio’s interplay and bridge of musical worlds.

The short opening take of the opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Beethoven 5, opens with a brief statement of the theme before their interplay. Pattillo’s use of his flute almost as rhythm instrument is introduced here and followed by the original Classique, an evocative crossover in the classical tradition. Raga Raja is a lively Indian styled composition with Pattillo driving playing lending an exotic flavor here. In contrast are the three Bach Sinfonias with a distinct chamber music flavor. TV Theme Show is a fun original that should have wide appeal while The Stacks moves from a chamber trio to driving feature for flute and cello. The Charlie Parker and Miles Davis bebop classic Donna Lee starts as a stately bass-cello duet statement of the theme before Pattillo turns up the tempo a few notches with Stephenson shadowing him and then taking his own brisk cello solo before Pattillo leads the performance to its coda. 

“6th Road Middle” opens with the tone of a chorale number by the trio (some really pretty flute at the beginning before becoming a hot jam between the three. Rossini’s William Tell Overture is the lengthiest performance to close this. There is a playfulness leading up to what folks of my age will refer to as The Theme to The Lone Ranger, followed by three minutes of silence before a minute long spacey segment closes this recording. The is a mix of serious music and playfulness on When Will Then Be Now matched by their lively performances that also likely accounts for the following among the diverse audiences Project Trio has garnered.

A publicist provided a review copy. Here is a performance of Rossini’s William Tell Overture to whet your appetite for Project Trio.