Joel Frahm Trio: 'Lumination'

One of the best things about getting a (tiny) reputation as a jazz journalist is that I get sent some really, really interesting music to listen to. Much of this excellent output from incredibly talented musicians would, otherwise, slip through the net. Such is true of Lumination from the Joel Frahm Trio, out now on the independent Anzic Records.

Frahm (tenor sax) is joined by Dan Loomis (acoustic bass) and Ernesto Cervini (drums) for some genuinely exciting and innovative jazz. Frahm brings his experience as a sax expert and highly inventive musician - long-time collaborator Brad Mehldau describes his sound as "big and generous, very warm and comfortable," emphasising the "unapologetic emotional outpouring" in his playing.

Lumination shows the dexterity and creativity of this trio, which has been together for nearly a decade. The interplay between sax and bass above the rhythmic inventions of the drums is quite a unique sound: after just a few bars, your ears become accustomed to the spaces that might otherwise be filled by guitar or piano.

Melody is always present in Frahm's saxlines and none more so than in the ballad Moonface Lament, apparently composed during a sleepless night on tour. Later comes the funky and driven False Spring, with another catchy melody that threatens to become an earworm.

Now there's no excuse for not catching The Joel Frahm Trio, who are taking their delicious sound out on tour across Europe, including dates in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, starting in Norway on 28 September. If you're in Canada, they're heading your way later in October. All dates are here.

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