Jason Domnarski Trio – Inventing the Wheel

At the halfway point, it could be said that 2009 has been a fairly decent year for indie piano jazz trios. February saw the release of some very good piano jazz on The Bad Plus’s druggy For All I Care and Marco Benevento’s quirky Me Not Me. These records taken together demonstrate the versatility of the piano jazz band template; the first revealed that straight-laced, no frills piano jazz is far from boring, while the second demonstrated the bizarre musical terrains in which the same band can roam. And so it seemed entirely appropriate that in the midst of the hot summer months, a record of cool and breezy original piano jazz tunes would arrive courtesy of Jason Domnarski Trio, a band that has become a common fixture to several New York City jazz clubs.

Jason Domnarski Trio (JDT) follows up their well-received debut, Notes from Underground, with Inventing the Wheel, which falls almost perfectly between the smooth yet sneering jazz of The Bad Plus and the eccentric murkiness of Marco Benevento. Inventing the Wheel is rooted in the same classic jazz piano of recent decades but combines it with elements of pop and touches of electronica that provide the music with a fresh, youthful sound. These elements are felt as Domnarski utilizes a clean piano sound much of the time but often takes risks with segments of late 1960s organs and sci-fi space synthesizers. These experiments never feel pasted in, instead they organically fit into the songs resulting in a record that likely reflects its creators’ unique personalities.

If it is said that a piano jazz trio is only as good as its pianist then JDT have nothing to fear because Jason Domnarski possesses a terrific touch. His playing seems to be just as much influenced by old Blue Note jazz records as recent decades worth of rock, pop, and neo-classical music. He has an ear for orchestration and arrangement demonstrated on this record in that he composed all but one of the songs. This brings us to the invaluable rhythm section of JDT. The only song not written by Domnarski, “CA in AC,” was written by bassist Aaron Nevezie, who, along with drummer Dave Mason, does a terrific job in laying down the grooves over which Domnarski’s piano runs wild. If the piano is the voice of a jazz trio, then the bass and drums are its guts and heart – all three are vital to Inventing the Wheel.

This three-piece locks into a groove with impressive ease, heard notably here on “Gastrophysics,” and “Neckface.” On the former song they open with verse-chorus-verse structure that launches into fits of free flowing runs before returning to the opening melody. Here and elsewhere on the record it becomes clear that even at their most abstract JDT never let the melodies get out of arm’s reach. Meanwhile, “Neckface” boasts several toe-tapping grooves enhanced by the track’s unexpected sharp turns. Unexpected turns crop up quite a bit on Inventing the Wheel as nearly all the songs stretch past the five-minute mark providing plenty of room for JDT’s creativity to blossom. The mood of Inventing the Wheel has a circular feel to it as the music moves from sunny playfulness to dark jazz and back again sometimes even in the same song as heard on “Sleeping with My Avatar” and “20%.”

JDT has crafted a record that is a terrific addition to the year’s jazz releases and one of the best instrumental piano albums in recent memory – rich with melody, sharp song craft, and inspired performances. Inventing the Wheel squeezes into a completely unique space between The Bad Plus and Marco Benevento and for many listeners its cool jazz will be the perfect fit for those unbearably hot, summer days.

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Tagged as: New York City, piano jazz

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