Garreth Broesche Trio(GB3)
Does the world really need another take on Thelonious Monk’s “Straight, No Chaser”? And a mandolin-driven version at that? Local bandleader and mando player Garreth Broesche thinks so, as he closes this eponymous disc with that jazz standard. The style here is Left Bank-inflected, carnivalesque, acoustic jazz, rendered by mandolin, string bass, guitars, skins, and accordions. Roughly half of the nine tunes in the 30-minute debut are covers, including Ellington warhorse “Caravan,” Gershwin’s “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” Johnny Mercer & Hoagy Carmichael’s “Lazybones,” and Rogers & Hart’s “My Funny Valentine.” The rest, including favorable opener “Blue Moose” and tongue-in-cheek follow-up “My New Girlfriend,” are originals that illustrate Broesche’s talents with the pen. No question there’s chemistry in the band, but it’s also clear that time will help inspire and gel the outfit. Not nearly as mercury inflating as Hot Clubs of France or Cowtown, the trio presents the songs in a laid-back, warm-summer-day cadence. Comfortable and easy, but miles from easy listening. A few of the tunes also benefit from live performance energy, having been recorded live on KUT’s Eklektikos. All told, an auspicious, if brief, debut from the band.
This article appears in January 24 • 2003.