Two versions of a short piece, Etude 1 and 2, from a trio led by Charlie Haden, with Geri Allen on Piano and Paul Motian on Drums. The album was released on the wonderful Soul Note label in 1988. Some of the best jazz labels are (or were) European. ECM, Enja, Steeplechase, Soul Note/Black Saint and others produced a great catalog of modern jazz music by American and European artists from the early 1970s and on.
Interesting to note that the two versions are almost identical and were composed by Paul Motian. You wouldn’t normally associate such lyrical pieces with a drummer composer, but then again Motian is one of the most lyrical drummers I had the luck of listening to. His work with the Bill Evans trio with Scott LaFaro includes some of the best drum accompaniments in jazz. Etude sounds like a soulful folk song adapted to a jazz trio. The whole album is highly recommended, and it features two favorite compositions by Haden, Silence and Sandino.
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