Allison, Cardenas & Nash - Triological

The trio of bassist Ben Allison, guitarist Steve Cardenas and saxophonist Ted Nash — collectively known as Allison, Cardenas & Nash — returns with a striking new recording, Triological, out April 10 on Sunnyside Records. Following their previous four albums that focused on music by iconic composers, Triological is the first to feature original music written by Allison, Cardenas and Nash specifically for the album. It features ten compositions, six of which can be heard here for the first time. Recorded over the span of two days by Matt Balitsaris at Maggie’s Farm, and mixed and mastered by Ben, Triological is the group’s most personal album to date.

Over the past decade plus, Allison, Cardenas & Nash have developed a unique group sound and approach — one based on improvisation, mutual trust, and an almost uncanny ability to predict each other’s musical moves. The result is music that flows freely but is also cohesive, while leaving room for each player to express their individuality.

The trio is loosely modelled after the drummerless units of saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre, who envisioned an approach to collective improvisation where each member was “the drummer.”

Following their albums Quiet Revolution (2016 Newvelle Records / 2018 Sonic Camera), Somewhere Else: West Side Story Songs (2019 Plastic Sax), Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley (2022 Sunnyside), and Tell the Birds I Said Hello (2024 Sonic Camera), the new outing by this dynamic group shines a light, not only on their high level of musicianship, but also on their individual voices as composers. All three have long histories writing for their respective bands as well as for other artists and projects. Each has developed their own unique style and approach.

Says engineer Matt Balitsaris, “It feels like their years touring and recording together, especially their focus on other people’s music, has somehow paved the way for this album. Over the years they have developed a really special group sound. And now, recording their own music brings it to a whole new level.”

The program begins with Allison’s “See Forever,” inspired by the moody work of Henry Mancini with a sing-song melody over a propulsively resonant bass guitar rhythm. Cardenas’s playful “Puddle Jumper” evolved for this trio out of a kernel of a theme that the guitarist had recorded into his phone. Ornette Coleman’s achievements in melodic freedom over mixed rhythmic pulse inspires Nash’s “Burnt Toast and Avocado.”

Allison’s “Fellas with Umbrellas” is a contrafact of bassist and Giuffre alum Steve Swallow’s “Ladies In Mercedes” with a nod to the cinematic style of composer Michel Legrand. The resonant “Milton” is an older Allison piece that grew from a simple theme into this stunning ballad. The Cardenas ballad “By Heart” allows each member to shine on the piece’s gorgeous harmonic colors. On “For Bill,” Nash pays tribute to the musical brilliance of the legendary Bill Evans with a nodding reference to Evans’s beautiful composition “Time Remembered.”

The blues-tinged tones of Cardenas’s “Back Home” echo the sounds and swing of the guitarist’s hometown, Kansas City. The playful back and forth of Nash’s “Ida’s Spoons” inspires tremendous performances from the trio as they navigate the tricky arrangement built on the chord changes of Victor Young’s “Stella By Starlight.” The recording concludes with Allison’s musical meditation, “Peace Out There,” which finds an aural allusion to the whimsical style of Carla Bley.