“David Baker’s new jazz album Minus Piano is just that. A trio without a piano, or any chordal instrument like guitar or orchestra. The lack of lush harmony usually provided by these instruments strips down the compositions that, coupled with creative arrangements, expose their beauty [...] I appreciated the tunes themselves more after hearing them without their iconic arrangements. Minus Piano reminds us that when it’s the good stuff, you don’t need cream in that coffee.”
Minus Piano
Minus Piano, David Baker Trio's debut album, explores inventive tributes to the great jazz pianists of history with a catch— there isn’t any piano. The trio intermingles two prolific and deep traditions: the piano trio (piano, bass, and drums), and the chord-less trio (tenor saxophone, bass, and drums). The clever and exciting chord-less trio captures the spirit of each pianist honoree while still creating a sound all their own. They take cues from each pianist and making the choice to continue onwards in the realm the pianist curated, as can be heard on “I’ve Never Been In Love Before”, or to treat that interpretation as a departure point, like “Almost Like Being in Love.” The David Baker Trio consists of David Baker on bass, Joel Harris on tenor saxophone, and Sarute “Kai” Wijitwechakarn on drums.
The trio honors the great pianists (in track order) Red Garland, Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, Ray Charles, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, and Thelonious Monk. The addition of an alternate take on “Waltz for Debby” results from an unintentional moment captured. David states, “The band wasn’t as locked in overall on that take, but we were certainly taking risks. The arrangement is a sort of deconstructed reverse-order version of the tune and in the opening solo/duet section, Joel and I are living in some sort of interplay. Well, anyways, things were going along and we just happened to unintentionally harmonize a scale in diatonic 6ths and we both were caught off guard by the sudden consonance. Kai threw his hands in the air at the drumset, and then we both proceeded to ruin it by screwing up. I can’t remember how, but we got so excited and missed the next notes or added a beat. Anyways, the moment seemed to special not to include. So Debby gets two waltzes on this record.”
In the liner notes, David Baker says, “My childhood memories are filled with a persistent soundtrack of jazz— a gift credited to both my brother and my mother. Over the years, I too grew to love the music and appreciate all that I was surrounded with. I look back with great fondness of these memories. As I grew in this music, it took a long time for me to consistently play with pianists. Instead, I played with horns exclusively or maybe a guitarist, if I was lucky. What resulted was a childhood filled with inspiration from incredible pianists and little to no opportunity to play with them. I came to enjoy playing without it, but my roots were already laid—I couldn’t forget the influence piano had on me. This record pays homage to some of those figures who stood out from my childhood: Red Garland, Oscar Peterson, Count Basie, Ray Charles, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, and Thelonious Monk. I recruited two other musicians who I admire greatly: Joel Harris and Sarute Wijitwechakarn. I am lucky to have them as friends and to have them dedicate their own inspirations to this project. Please enjoy Minus Piano”
Album Credits
David Baker • double bass
Joel Harris • tenor saxophone
Sarute Wijitwechakarn • drums
Recorded October 29th & October 30th, 2018
at the Recording Studio A of the University of Northern Colorado.
Mixed, Mastered, and Engineered by Gregory Heimbecker.
Produced by David Baker.
Graphic Design & Artwork by David Baker.
Photography by Sarute Wijitwechakarn.