Album Notes

"Trio Music" on Seabreeze Jazz is Jerry Kalaf's first CD as a leader. Recorded in 1995, the recording was reviewed in Modern Drummer in January of 1996 by Hal Howland:

That drummer/composer Jerry Kalaf has devoted his career to the quiet environment of the piano trio is nearly as remarkable as the consummate good taste with which he has done so. Inspired by Bill Evans and influenced by such disciples as Burton, Corea, Jarrett, and Towner, Kalaf works from an eminently solid platform.

"Living In The Past" opens the album with a patient, hymn-like melody that would have gone straight to Manfred Eicher's heart. Drums are all buy inaudible until a soft cymbal roll ushers in the final bars of the chorus. "ISM", the brief lone unaccompanied drum solo, sings with clear tone, fluid technique, and a welcome absence of bronze. "Eddie's Bounce" is a "Rhythm" tune in memory of dancer Eddie Brown (Kalaf's L.A. based group is called the Jazz Tap Ensemble) and features a neat switch to sticks where you can hear the wood resonate against a sparkling cymbal. The cinematic "Ballad For Bonnie", with some of Dave Brubeck's orchestral sweep, leads to a modal "Folk Song" and Typically taut but unrestrained accompaniment of bass solo. Kalaf's press rolls and one-chorus breaks in "Reunion Blues" are like his liner notes: concise and perfectly narrative.

Prescription for peace in the home: trade two or more pairs of 5Bs for a copy of "Trio Music".