Will Vinson, Gilad Hekselman & Nate Wood / Trio Grande - Urban Myth

Like the mighty river which lends the band its name, Trio Grande’s waters flow slow but deep, crossing continents, carving out landscapes, bringing life to the desert. Much has changed since the Trio’s first release in 2020, not least for the band itself: prodigious multi-instrumentalist Nate Wood now joins the indefatigably creative partnership forged in New York City by Gilad Hekselman and Will Vinson.

The foundational triumvirate of drums, guitar and alto saxophone remains and even though each member is rated among the most individual and influential practitioners of their own instrument, the unmistakable enduring character of Trio Grande incorporates them all into its own unique identity, continuing to grow and develop at its own pace, to create new possibilities of form and texture, composition and improvisation. The results can be heard on the new release, Urban Myth: a powerful, diverse but unified set of recordings that combines elements of jazz with pop accessibility and the directness and honesty of folk - “No science project music on this record.” - and delivers a new surprise at every turn.

Trio Grande has always been about pushing at the boundaries of possibility, finding new ways to explore the vocabulary of modern instrumental music and reconfigure the trio format. Nate Wood’s superhuman ability to play drums and bass simultaneously opens up extra possibilities, freeing up Hekselman from sole bass duties – “Nate is such an ocean of music” he says, “He has an insane depth of understanding of sound and orchestration.” There’s a perfect empathetic understanding between the participants, allowing them to fuse their diverse musical influences, from cutting edge contemporary jazz to rock and folk forms, all with perfect freedom and conviction.

All the compositions are by Hekselman or Vinson, complemented with two very unexpected covers, spontaneously laid down in the studio with minimal post-production, and exploring a gamut of different musical landscapes. ‘Urban Myth’ fuses Hekselman’s early love of The Prodigy with his fascination with Balkan music to create a pulsating, high-energy fusion sound. By contrast ‘Ministry Of Love’ uses clean tones from sax and guitar over a sophisticated but blues-drenched structure, referencing to the jazz trio tradition, while ‘Navanad’ builds upon a bed of acoustic guitar to evoke a direct, simple feeling of longing. An unexpected version of Roy Hargrove’s ‘Strasbourg St- Denis twists the jam-session favorite into a fascinating new shape, and Will Vinson shows his diverse listening habits by introducing a further cover with Nik Kershaw’s ‘Dancing Girls’ - a straight up floor filler that contrasts deliciously with the somber poise of his acoustic ballad ‘Olive Tree’. “Will is master of the saxophone with a pianist’s ear for harmony and his music always has a singing quality - his tone is so beautiful, his playing so expressive.” says Hekselman. ‘In My Head’ is a lyrical song without words that builds to an epic climax, showing Hekselman’s grasp of melody, while ‘Chorale’ allows Vinson to show his compositional chops. Finally, the gospel- influenced ‘The Gift’, named by Gilad for Israeli guitarist Shay Chen, is the perfect album closer, poignant and uplifting at the same time. “Gilad is someone who is impossibly fluent in the traditions of jazz and yet such a natural and open improviser that everything he plays sounds as though it’s being invented right then and there.” says Vinson. “Throw into that mix his command of sound and his deep connection with styles outside of jazz, and he’s basically the ideal partner in a project like this.”

Like the river, Trio Grande brings together diverse streams of culture, uniting into a strong current, traveling across vast distances, linking disparate places, towards a common destination. The further it travels, the stronger it becomes.