The Joe Gilman Trio – View So Tender: Wonder Revisited, Vol. Two – Capri 74086-2, 63:19 ****:
(Joe Gilman – piano, producer; Justin Brown – drums, co-producer (Tr. 9); Joe Sanders – bass)
The Joe Gilman Trio is back for more. View So Tender: Wonder Revisited, Volume Two is the second chapter in Gilman’s look at Stevie Wonder’s music. Like the first volume this is more than just a tribute, it’s a re-interpretation of a classic songwriter’s output. Like Gilman’s previous volume, also recorded in 2004 at the same time as these titles, this collection is not a light jazz rendition of pop tunes, like many releases that combine jazz with pop music. Gilman, drummer Justin Brown and bassist Joe Sanders don’t simply recreate well known hits in an instrumental setting. Quite the opposite: View So Tender presents a consistently engaging traditional jazz trio climate with an emphasis on improvisation and creativity.
Casual Wonder fans probably won’t recognize most of the song titles that Gilman and company use as a springboard for their jazz jaunts. Although the numbers come from the celebrated Wonder discography of the ‘70s and ‘80s, these were not top radio singles and in some cases were not memorable album cuts. But Gilman’s main focus was not offering Wonder’s most famous compositions, but finding and utilizing strong melodies, dynamic harmonies, and content adaptable to soloing and spontaneous communication.
Throughout the hour-long presentation The Joe Gilman Trio delivers a series of twisting and shifting solos that often head off to diverse paths. The album opens with a lively ramble that carries “Cryin’ Through the Night,” wherein Gilman uses pliant, picturesque chords while Sanders responds in kind with some proportionately optimistic rhythmic bass runs. The desirous “Whereabouts” follows suit with some cajoling keyboard magic and gamboling bass and drums interplay.
The three players also show a refined touch for ballads on unhurried “You and I,” a flowing, leisurely stroll highlighting Wonder’s intimate musical qualities and the threesome’s attentive give and take skills, as well as fluent “Easy Goin’ Evenin’,” an adroit piece that applies shaded chord figures that furnish a slightly dark hue.
Two standouts include vigorous “Contusion,” an upbeat, elastic cut that has a pouncing free insinuation during which the rhythm section pivots in and around Gilman’s latticed piano embellishments; and balmy “Bird of Beauty,” which has a piquant samba tang, with a firmly inclined piano commentary that adds peppery flavoring. Another highlight is bop-ish “Another Star,” where the band surges with an animated pace during which Gilman illustrates his fast moving 88-keys fingering.
On View So Tender: Wonder Revisited, Volume Two Gilman is both educator and performer. He teaches those who listen with vigilant ears that jazz based on pop music can be energized, direct and straightforward without being nostalgic or imitative of the original source material. Equally important, Gilman demonstrates that open-hearted jazz is not a lost art form among younger jazz players.
TrackList:
1 Cryin’ Through the Night
2 Whereabouts
3 Knocks Me Off My Feet
4 You And I
5 Contusion
6 Bird of Beauty
7 Easy Goin’ Evenin’
8 Another Star
9 Don’t Know Why I Love You
10 As If Read My Mind
— Doug Simpson
