Three

Lafayette Gilchrist is a young pianist who has put together his own little mix of jazz, blues, funk, rock, R&B, free improv and live (non-sampled)hip-hop beats. The effect is breathtaking.On this trio recording, the music is constantly moving forward with solid swing and surging motion. Somehow, the music makes you think, listen and tap your feet at the same time. Great tunes like 'In Depth', 'Volcano Red', 'Inside Outside' and the blues 'The Enquizator's Request' will hopefully be played for years to come.The bass/drum team of Anthony 'Blue' Jenkins and Nate Reynolds respectively, is doing a wonderful job. The ebullient electric bass of Jenkins is especially good, and drummer Reynolds lays down a mean, funky backbeat. On top of it all is Gilchrist's piano - a tour de force of bluesy inspiration, rhythmic imagination and swinging creativity.A must-have for anyone who wants to examine where jazz may be going in the 21st century.

This is my favorite of Lafayette Gilchrist's first three CDs. My husband and I saw him perform live with a paired down group, and he was amazing. High energy, interesting tunes. This CD best represents his incredible dexterity and talent as a pianist and composer--comes through the band better--as compared to his first two albums. Haven't heard his fourth/latest album yet, but looking forward to it.

One of the great stories about a discussion between Dustin Hoffman and Sir Laurence Olivier about the nature of acting goes as follows: Hoffman goes on a long-winded and rather pretentious description of "method" acting, as one would expect. Olivier responds by dismissing Hoffman, and saying that acting is about nothing more than, "look at me." Whatever one thinks of Hoffman, he is capable of making you look at him, as was Olivier, as are many great actors.And one of the things we want in a great musician is for them to grab us by the lapels, or whatever other apparel may be appropriate, and say, "listen to me." Not in words, but by playing music that is immediate, and demanding.Lafayette Gilchrist, as much as any modern jazz musician, demands, "listen to me," and more than any of his other albums, Three demands your attention. Forcefulness, inspired by McCoy Tyner, angularity and oddity, inspired by Thelonious Monk, and deep funk. Like Monk, Gilchrist can sound odd with horns along for the ride, because not everyone can really groove with his oddity. So, he really is at his best here, on Three, when there's no question about whether or not anyone else is going to have any trouble finding that weird Gilchrist wavelength.Deeply funky, odd almost to the point of off-putting if you aren't open-eared, Three just grabs you and doesn't let go. I find it rather frustrating that Gilchrist didn't become the leading light of jazz piano after this album. That's not to say there aren't others working along similar lines-- Malcolm Braff comes to mind-- but Gilchrist just had it nailed here.I think it may be at least partly the extent to which the Bill Evans/Keith Jarrett school of piano has dominated the jazz scene for so long. I dig Mehldau, and I get why he is such a star, but I kind of want more musicians to be weird and challenging. Doing that, while still staying funky is hard. That's where GIlchrist comes in. There's really nobody out there who pulls it off like he does, and if you want him without the challenge of horns trying to keep up with his bizarre mindset, this is the place. One of the best jazz piano albums hiding underneath the surface.Come on, people. Make Lafayette Gilchrist the star he should be.Then give Malcolm Braff the attention he needs.