A/B Trio celebrates CD release and a tour

It’s taken two years, countless emails and clashing schedules but I finally had the opportunity to sit down in a face-to-face interview with Thom Bennett.

The St. Albert drummer is a founding member of A/B Trio, one of the hottest young jazz ensembles in the province. His compadres in this cordless trio are Dan Davis (sax) and Josh McHan (double bass).

A/B Trio just released its second album, Out West, featuring Juno Award winning saxophonist Mike Murley. At present, the quartet is on a six-stop tour of the province with an anchor date at the Yardbird Suite on Dec. 6.

It was worth skidding across icy roads to sit down at the Good Earth Café surrounded by the drifting smells of fresh coffee and sticky cinnamon buns to talk jazz with Bennett and Davis.

The duo is definitely energetic, much like the pair’s silky smooth, groove-based music. Inspired by the unplugged sound of Sonny Rollins and Joshua Redman as well as works by Chris Potter and Ari Hoening, Out West’s material combines fresh re-interpretations of standards with original repertoire.

“Everything comes in steps. It’s like driving. You can only see so far ahead. If someone would have told me five years ago we’d have two CDs and had a tour with our musical hero (Murley), we would have slapped you in the face,” jokes an awed Bennett.

As I quickly learn, each musician’s temperament is similar to his instrument. Bennett is the playful one who provides the trio’s energy. Davis reveals his mind constantly, firing off a stream of ideas making conversations tricky to follow, and McHan is the timekeeper, the stabilizing force in the ensemble.

McHan, who replaced previous bass player Keith Rempel, is a natural fit.

“He’s an awesome musician, one of the best bass players in Alberta. But we also wanted someone to hang out with. And we’re all kind of at the same point in our lives,” Bennett explains.

But the high point of the trio’s 10-month, 10-track project was recording at HomeStead Recorders with Murley, a veteran Canadian saxophonist who has played on eleven Juno-Award winning recordings since 1991.

Stylistically the Toronto-based musician-educator ranges from A to Z. Murley has recorded mainstream repertoire with Ed Bickert and Guido Basso as well as collaborations with the younger generation of composer-improvisers including pianist David Braid and guitarist David Occhipinti.

“His command of the language is so deep and he is always emotionally present. He never looks like he’s phoning it in. He really looked like he was enjoying his time in the studio,” Bennett states.

Davis, who has been a tad quieter during the interview, jumps into the conversation citing how the veteran musician provided a stimulus to tackle new territory.

“He was a force in the studio, a formidable, fantastic player. He could have all sorts of ego, but he was the opposite – so full of positive energy. He gave us helpful suggestions for arrangements and said which tracks he likes. He was great to work with.

Bennett recalls the last day of rehearsals the foursome sat down for a glass of wine to unwind.

“He knew where we were at in our career and development. He had been there too and to have that kind of respect is very considerate.”

Both CJSR and CKUA are spinning Out West singles and song samples are available on the A/B Trio website at www.abtrio.com.