Drummer
Peter Donald achieved prominence as a member of
John Abercrombie's pivotal quartet of the late '70s, but he dropped out of public view in the ensuing decades. This disc by the trio
3Prime marks
Donald's return to the stage. The reclusive drummer is joined by bassist
Abraham Laboriel and pianist
Tom Ranier for a creative live set recorded at Rocco in Bel Air, CA. (It's significant that
Donald's like-minded fellow drummer and friend
Peter Erskine produced the outing and released it on his own
Fuzzy Music label.)
Laboriel and
Donald each contribute a tune -- the lilting 12/8
"Moment Out of Time" and the unorthodox
funk/
blues workout
"Snippy," respectively.
Ranier pitches in with the challenging, swinging
"Step Outside" and the dramatic finale,
"Teach Me Your Paths." In addition, the three present their take on
Jobim's
"Jet Samba," Frank Rosolino's
"Blue Daniel," and the well-known standards
"You Stepped Out of a Dream" and
"All the Things You Are." Donald's spacious and inventive drumming perfectly frames the robust efforts of
Laboriel and
Ranier, both of whom are career studio musicians as well as virtuosic jazzers.
Laboriel plays what appears to be a hollow-body bass guitar, providing rich, rounded low-end tones. ~ David R. Adler
