Search - Tri-Fi, Matthew Fries, Keith Hall :: Postcards

Tri-Fi is back with another exciting recording - and a bulk of online bonus material to go with it. The jazz piano trio, Tri-Fi (Matthew Fries, piano; Keith Hall, drums; and Phil Palombi, bass), have just released their second trio CD, Postcards. It is a follow up to their critically acclaimed self-titled album and offers a whole new set of original compositions. On Postcards, the three musicians again share compositional duties and the resulting music on the CD ranges widely in style and influence. "The album is entirely original material," says drummer, Hall, "most of which was written specifically for this recording. We also took some chances exploring some different directions, which I think proved to be a lot of fun and very musical." Postcards from Abroad, by Fries, is a subtle straight-eighth tune that features solos from Fries and Palombi before settling into a vamp that includes background vocals by the trio. The free-form blues ramble, Creative Force, by Hall, demonstrates the communication of the trio with an interactive shared solo between Fries and Hall before a surprising handoff to Fries for a feisty blues solo. The playful mixed meter tribute to Heathrow Airport, The Heathrow Shuffle, by Palombi, captures the fun side of the trio and features guest saxophonist, Steve Wilson, who makes a soulful contribution to three tracks on the recording. Tri-Fi were praised on their debut album for "the perpetual forward thrust of the music... and their flawless intercommunication" by All About Jazz, and described as "infusing creative writing, fresh arranging and complimentary playing to offer us music that has to be reckoned with" by JazzReview.com. Fries, Hall and Palombi have been touring together as sidemen with singer, Curtis Stigers, for over four years (totaling close to five hundred concerts together), and formed Tri-Fi as a way to step forward into the spotlight and create some original music in the classic jazz piano trio format. Their friendship and level of musical communication gained in their roles as sidemen are once again obvious in this exciting set of new music. The album contains twelve tracks and listeners who buy the album can access two bonus tracks, photos, videos, bootleg recordings and more from the Tri-Fi website by entering a code found in the CD jacket.