Vigil by McWain / Balgochian / Cook

" (Summer 2006, Issue #42)

--Christian Carey - Signal to Noise Magazine

ANDY McWAIN/ALBEY BALGOCHIAN/LAURENCE COOK - Vigil (Fuller Street 2166; USA) Featuring Andy McWain on piano, Albey Balgochian on bass and Laurence Cook on drums. I can't say that I've heard of Massachusetts-based pianist, Andy McWain, before this, but I've known of the great avant/jazz drummer Laurence Cook through his work with Bill Dixon, Thurston Moore, Joe McPhee, Daniel Carter and Paul Flaherty. Mr. Balgochian has been playing in the Cecil Taylor Trio & Orchestra, as well as a having a fine trio of his own with Sabir Mateen. This is a free piano trio and a strong one at that. Beginning slowly, but taking off quickly for the stratosphere. Albey's bass is in the center and is the busiest, quickly buzzing fleet, fast streams of notes as the piano and drums take their time and building together ever upwards. There is an organic connection and development in the way this disc unfolds. The playing is often streamlined and suspenseful and spacious. They do not play songs or do charted terrain, yet they work so well together, sailing and soaring together. In a blindfold test, you might mistake them for Herbie, Ron and Tony when they played with Miles in the mid-sixties. They occasionally erupt and reach for the stars. Which is pretty amazing considering few of us have heard of this trio before this very endeavor. It would be a shame for them to go unnoticed, so, dig in.

--Bruce Lee Gallanter - Downtown Music Gallery (NYC)

REVIEW from VITAL WEEKLY (Netherlands)

MCWAIN-BALGOCHIAN-COOK - VIGIL (Fuller Street Music)

"The cd captures seven lively improvisations in an excellent recording from three technically very advanced players. The three form a great team showing real togetherness in their playing. They play intelligently with the idiom of jazz, avoiding cliches and offering some nice surprises from time to time... McWain is an original and enthusiastic player with lots of ideas, crazy jumps and twists. A very pleasant cd from an original trio." (review by Dolf Mulder)

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McWain's first cd (also available here on CDbaby!), Andy McWain Quartet: STARFISH (2002) features Assif Tsahar on tenor sax and bass clarinet, Andy McWain on piano, Noah Jarrett on acoustic bass, and Chris Poudrier on drums and percussion. It was recorded at Uptime Studios, New York, NY by Paul Mascott, engineer. Cadence Magazine's Jay Collins described Starfish as "a convincing debut", and critic Glenn Astarita, writing for allaboutjazz.com, called it a "major and altogether delightful surprise."

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