Geri Allen - Live at the Village Vanguard (DIW, 1990)

 

Geri Allen, piano

Charlie Haden, bass

Paul Motian, drums

Recorded December 21 & 22, 1990

The Village Vanguard

Engineer: Jim Anderson

Oh, to have seen this remarkable group perform live! The trio of Geri Allen, Paul Motian, and Charlie Haden was one of the best groups of the 1980s. A "leaderless" group, Allen and Haden swapped top billing across at least four albums. 

Allen's lovely "A Prayer for Peace" leads things off, followed by her "Obtuse Angles," which begins chaotically, with Motian taking a fiery solo after a brief piano intro. As the song continues, it becomes more conventional and actually ends up swinging. Nice!

Of the three Motian tunes on the date, I am most intrigued by "In the Year of the Dragon," which conjures mysterious images through its twists and turns. Haden's contributions include a blues, a one-minute tribute to Alice Coltrane ("For Turiya"), and the closing "Song for the Whales" with its uncanny mimicry of whale speech.

The live recording puts you close to the stage in the Vanguard. All instruments are captured faithfully, and the audience's reactions are enthusiastic yet respectful. Kudos to engineer Jim Anderson for getting it right every time out. Put this one with your demo disks for intimate live recordings.

For my reviews of three of the trio's recordings from the 1980s, go to:

Post: Edit In the Year of the Dragon

Post: Edit Etudes

Post: Edit Segments