DON PRESTON TRIO
Transformation
Cryptogramophone
CG107

Anyone who has heard Don Preston’s work with Frank Zappa, John Carter, Bobby Bradford, Michael Mantler and Carla Bley shouldn’t be surprised that he’s an extremely capable jazz pianist. Though he’s co-led sessions with ex Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, and Zappa revivalists The Grandmothers, Transformation is, to my knowledge, Preston’s first release as a leader. Transformation features Preston in an all-acoustic trio setting; a risky move,
perhaps, for an artist best known for his pioneering work with analog and digital synthesizers. As an acoustic pianist, Preston is first-rate. His firm-yet-gentle touch, dry wit, and penchant for quirky, atonal voicings bring to mind several other modern jazz piano mavericks; notably Paul Bley (an associate of Preston’s during the late 1950s), Lowell Davidson, and Denny Zeitlin (particularly his early trio work with Cecil McBee and Freddie Waits).

Like Zeitlin and Bley, Preston places a very high premium on atmosphere. His very accomplished and sympathetic trio-mates understand this thoroughly, and anyone interested in the work of drummer Alex Cline and bassist Joel Hamilton would be well advised to check this disc out as well. Both get considerable space to stretch out on this CD. I don’t know much about Hamilton. Based on the strength of his playing here, I suspect we’ll be hearing a lot more of him in the near future. His limber bass flows effortlessly along with Preston and Cline, and his solos are riveting. Like Preston, drummer Alex Cline is perhaps best known for his work with various high-energy, plugged-in ensembles (Julius Hemphill’s JAH Band, Tim Berne’s Fulton Street Maul, Gregg Bendian’s Interzone, etc.). Cline is one of those rare drummers who can bash as hard as anyone, and is also completely at ease in quieter acoustic jazz settings. His beautifully detailed playing literally thrives in the rarefied context of Preston’s piano trio.

Transformation features several of Preston’s original compositions (“Inner Blues,” “The Lind Sonata,” “The Prehistoric Eons”), a very warped version of Cole Porter’s “I Love You,” and significant coups de chapeau to Preston’s former employers: Frank Zappa (“Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue”), John Carter (“Ode to the Flower Maiden,” “Transformation”) and Carla Bley (“Walking BatterieWoman,” “Donkey”). Despite these diverse sources, Transformation is a coherent and tightly conceived CD. Basically, it’s an advanced modern jazz piano trio date with healthy doses of 20th Century classical sensibility (think Stravinsky, Bartok, Webern, etc.). Those looking for ecstatic free playing a la Cecil Taylor will be disappointed for this is avant garde jazz with a small "a." Preston’s sense of goofy theatricality (a trait he shares with Zappa and Carla Bley) is most evident on “I Love You” and his own “The Prehistoric Eons." The latter piece, improvised by the trio off Preston’s vocal cues, is superimposed over eerie audio signals pulled in from deep space by a radio-telescope. Ironically, it’s the only piece on the CD that seems to suffer from a lack of musical chemistry; the trio’s responses to the vocal cues all seem rather pat and uniform. In the context of the rest of the CD, this is only a minor misstep. I can wholeheartedly recommend Transformation to those who enjoy adventurous modern jazz played by an unusually sympathetic trio.


--Dave Wayne


Track Listing: 1. The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue; 2. Walking BatterieWoman; 3. Inner Blues (not a blues); 4. I Love You; 5. The Lind Sonata; 6. Ode to the Flower Maiden; 7. The Donkey; 8. Transformation; 9. The Prehistoric Eons


Personnel: Preston, piano, tapes (9), voice (9); Alex Cline, drums, percussion; Joel Hamilton, bass