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Mike Longo Trio
Sting Like A Bee
CONSOLIDATED ARTISTS PRODUCTIONS 1018
AA
Three masters at work, each schooled
fully in his art and none driven by
any lingering need to prove himself:
That pretty much wraps up Sting Like
A Bee, not to mention a good number
of piano/bass/drums trio albums by
artists comparable to these in stature.
Digging a little deeper, this
means that the trio format is well
suited to allowing musicians to
stretch; whether that means to challenge themselves
or to enjoy a leisurely idyll is up to the
participants. Sting Like A Bee fits into the latter
category, with loosely arranged tunes breezing
along the roadmap of head, blowing choruses,
some drum fours (which Nash plays crisply
and caps with a brisk, brief solo “Daahoud”),
reprise and finish. There are closing cadences
so embedded into the canon that their familiarity
substitutes effectively for the absent thrill
of the unexpected, from the bluesy walk-up at
the end of “Checked Bags” to the lick, slightly
botched, that wraps “Love For Sale.”
Which brings to mind perhaps the one challenge
that all who want to credibly follow this
approach have to honor: When playing standards,
effort should be made to cast the tune in
an even slightly different light than usual.
“Love For Sale” is one such track in this set:
Right at the top, it sashays into a swiveling,
seductive funk, switching to a complementary
swing on the bridges, which perfectly suit the
theme of the tune. Similarly, “Speak Low” is
presented as an intimate ballad, nicely harmonized
and buoyed by Cranshaw’s and Nash’s
discreet, spacious support. Beyond their agreement
on this feel, the only sign of preconceived
arrangement here is a set of descending triplets,
played together by all three participants, which
leads from each second ending into the next
verse. And that’s it: Players this seasoned and
skilled can trust their instincts to deliver the
goods once the tape rolls.
Sometimes, in fact, that works better than
building on a more ambitious foundation.
Inspired by Longo’s study with Oscar
Peterson, “Westside Story Medley” actually
features some of the album’s best blowing,
especially in the driving treatment of the first
section, “Tonight.” But slamming on the
brakes and veering suddenly to a rubato, solo
piano rumination on “Maria” subverts that
energy, and when Longo slips into the waltz “I
Feel Pretty” those several seconds of “Maria,”
in turn, become superfluous. It might have
been better to just pick any one of the Bernstein
pieces and live with them for a while. Far more
satisfying, and unexpectedly so, is Longo’s
solo exploration of Dizzy Gillespie’s “Kush,”
which closes Sting Like A Bee as a dramatic
reminder of how profound an interpreter and
penetrating an improviser he is when he chooses
to be. —Robert L. Doerschuk
Sting Like A Bee: Speak No Evil; Love For Sale; Daahoud; Tell
Me A Bedtime Story; Someone To Love; Westside Story
Medley; Dance Cadaverous; Morning; Speak Low; Bird Seed;
Checked Bags; Kush. (72:53)
Personnel: Mike Longo, piano; Bob Cranshaw, bass; Lewis
Nash, drums.
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Ordering info: jazzbeat.com
April 2010 DOWNBEAT 61