Juan Chiavassa - Three on Three Juan Chiavassa

Drummer Juan Chiavassa isn't standing still - the acclaim for his debut album, the star-studded Fourth Generation, would have been enough to sustain him far into the future, but he's too busy playing with the Mike Stern band and honing his production skills with Julieta Rada's Grammy-nominated Candombe to rest on his laurels
Now he's back with another project under his own name: stripping things back down to basics to explore his deep and abiding love for the jazz tradition of his adopted New York City hometown to create a record exploring the classic piano trio format. "Making my own album is like a treat to myself. I'm here in New York surrounded by these great musicians, giants who carry the direct line of the legacy down to us." For this record, Juan selected two of the very finest in David Kikoski on piano and his long-time associate Boris Kozlov on bass. David was one of the first musicians that Juan played with when he arrived in New York, but there's another reason for the association that draws on the deepest source of his inspiration: both David and Boris played in the trio of the great Roy Haynes. "Roy is my favorite drummer. He's loose and sharp at the same time. He played with an openness in a way that nobody really did before. I've always loved the piano trio format; it's so pleasing to the ear, and it can be so interactive and dynamic, so gentle or so aggressive, like a continuous conversation. This album gave me the chance to explore this great legacy with two masters of the form, and to play tribute to Roy and the inspiration he's given to so many."
This album provides a feast of delight for the listener to enjoy. There's an abundance of wonderful solo improvisations from everyone but it's the cohesion and musicality of the ensemble playing and the passionate dedication to the music that resonates most. "I wanted to put myself into Roy's world with these tunes, as everyone has a link back to him, to pay tribute to his greatness. It's just such so much fun playing this music with these guys. It's like the ideas never end, you know, it's just effortless."