The Double Trio by Stephen Haynes and Taylor Ho Bynum is a live recording at the Jazz Standard from the Festival of New Trumpet Music in September 2006.
Dave Douglas, founder of the Festival for New Trumpet Music said on his blog:
Taylor Ho Bynum and Stephen Haynes gave us a unique take on the double trio format at the Standard last night. On one side Taylor with Mary Halvorson on guitar and Tomas Fujiwara on drums. Stephen on the other with Allan Jaffe on guitar and Warren Smith on drums. The sound and compositions were rich and filled the space. It was refreshing to see something so different at a club in New York, and during the particularly abstract moments I found myself beaming at the big sign over the bandstand that says JAZZ STANDARD. Yes, finally!
Both brass players have full sounds, Stephen ranging from airy and transparent to cutting and brassy, Taylor delving often into half-valved burry tones and squiggly lines. The construction of the pieces was ingenious, constantly shifting the relationship of trio to trio, instrument to instrument, melody to melody. Lots of memorable exchanges between Mary and Allan, Tomas and Warren.
When I walked in and saw the stage it seemed there was something wrong with the set-up: Warren Smith had a large kit with a wall of gongs and an orchestral bass drum behind it. Tomas played a small kit arrayed on the opposite side of the stage, almost hiding behind the piano. Once the music started it was clear there was no disparity at all, just two very creative percussionists with two very different sets of instruments. It made for a great evening with a wide variety of sound.
Stephen Haynes is an improvising composer, arts advocate and educator; a product of the historic and fertile Black Music Division at Bennington College, directed by Bill Dixon. Mr. Haynes’ early foundational studies were with Frank Baird, who chaired the brass department at the University of Colorado's Boulder campus during the ‘60s and ‘70s. He is a charter member of Cecil Taylor's AHA! Orchestra and serves on the boards of directors for Y'All of New York and Spectrum in Motion Dance Theater Ensemble. Over the years he has worked with a range of musicians, with a primary interest in large ensembles and composition: George Russell, LaMonte Young, Butch Morris, Rhys Chatham, Bill Dixon, Leroy Jenkins, JD Parran, Adam Rudolph, Gunter Hampel and the Dells.
Taylor Ho Bynum is a performer on cornet and various brass instruments, composer, bandleader, and interdisciplinary collaborator with artists in dance, film, and theater. Bynum is committed to the further exploration of the extensions of composition and improvisation pioneered by 20th century masters like Ellington, Ives, and the AACM, but with a third millennial flavor and a trickster sensibility. He presently leads his Trio, his Sextet, and the nine-piece ensemble SpiderMonkey Strings, and has developed a body of solo music for cornet and duo work with dancer/choreographer Rachel Bernsen. In addition to leading his own groups, Bynum regularly performs with some of the most innovative figures in creative music, such as Anthony Braxton and Cecil Taylor, and has ongoing collaborations with such artists as Bill Lowe, Jason Kao Hwang, Joe Morris, Miya Masaoka, Stephen Haynes, Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng, Nate Wooley, Tomas Fujiwara, and the Fully Celebrated Orchestra. He is featured on over forty recordings, and has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. His work with Anthony Braxton spans over ten years and ranges from duo to orchestra, with recent tours throughout Europe and North America and several new recordings. Their CD Duets (Wesleyan) 2002 has received wide critical acclaim.
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