The cavalcade of jazz legends who have recorded at one of America’s most hallowed halls, the Van Gelder Studio, have been well-documented. Everyone from Coltrane, Monk, Miles and Mingus have made magic within its walls, be it in Hackensack or then in Englewood Cliffs. The latest gem is the debut of Trio Imagination with pianist David Virelles, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille. Their Creative Inspirations is well named. With motifs ranging from Afro-Cuban and Avant-Garde to Post-Bop and Swing, between the three of them, they bring 148 years of historic experience to the table.
Trio Imagination
Bassist Workman, 89, and drummer Cyrille, 86, who can be heard on some of the most important jazz albums of the 20th Century, used to work with sax man Oliver Lake in Trio 3 until his retirement. Now, the baby of the group, pianist Virelles, 43, has added his Caribbean flair to the mix. Cyrille describes the new member as “a brilliant beautiful person…spiritually motivated and respectful of the tradition.”