Fabian Almazan Trio at Musashino Swing Hall, January 7th 2020

It’s well known that it is in a live setting where jazz music truly thrives. Legendary recordings ranging from Duke at Newport, to Coltrane at the Village vanguard or Sun Ra’s Black Myth / Out of Space are some examples worth checking out. The same could be said about this particular show, in which telepathy and interaction among musicians were outstanding, definitely a thrill to see.

If I’m not mistaken the first Fabian Almazan Trio record dates back to 2011. As far as I know the same lineup has been together since. Fabian Almazan is originally from Cuba and moved to the States with his family as a young boy. He has recorded with Terrence Blanchard and in his own group he incorporates those cinematic sounds that Blanchard is renowned for. The Almazan records usually include strings and Classical influences along with his own pianistic and compositional skills. His wife Linda May Han Oh on bass and her own projects have had a big impact in contemporary jazz. She also has share the stage with legends such as Pat Metheny in the past. Henry Cole is a drummer from the island of Puerto Rico and I was very excited about seeing him. His work with Miguel Zenon as well as his own stuff influenced by contemporary urban sounds like reggaeton are definitely my cup of tea.

The evening started on time with the opener from their latest album This Land Abounds with Life, Benjamin. From the get-go the ensemble work at that blistering speed was stunning. It was the first taste of Cole’s amazing tone on the tiny Grestch kit, a combination of power and restriction that seems effortless and yet so difficult to master. Like in the record, this peace segue to The Everglades, a long epic tune with May on electric bass. She’s another musician that wowed the audience with her showstopping solos, usually followed by thunderous applause, which is rare for the Japanese audiences. After a song dedicated to Almazan’s father, who was also a musician, they closed the first set with Una Foto, the closer from their 2011 album Personalities.

After a ten minute break the musicians returned for the second set and opened with a song that, as Almazan explained, was dedicated to the struggles of jazz musicians in New York City. He also talked about his concerns with the environment and about the ongoing tragedy in Australia with the wildfires. He witnessed it firsthand when traveling there before his Japanese tour to visit family. His label Biophilia Records releases avoid plastics of any kind.

In this second set they performed The Poet. Other than the opener Benjamin, I think it was the only tune with clear Latin influences and Almazan shined with a brilliant solo on top of that infectious bass and drums groove of this tune. Even though this rendition didn’t include the field recordings that the recording has, there were other electronic explorations in the show, particularly with Benjamin, in which the piano sound will shift to some effects that brought interesting flavors to the table. I wish there would have been more of that.

They rounded up the two hours show with an encore that left the audience wanting for more of those truly dynamic compositions and stunning display of musicianship. It was an awesome first show for this year.
  
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