Bryan Pardo: tenor saxophone
Tim Keenan: drums
Dan McNaughton: bass
Sounds Like
you tell me...but here's another person's opinion, from allmusic.com:
"The debut recording for the Spider Trio had them locked in a modified New Orleans style, but for this sophomore effort by these Chicagoans, they are sounding like their hometown predecessors, the creative trio from the A.A.C.M., Air. A muscular and toned improvisational center and challenging original compositions have set this small ensemble on fire. Tenor saxophonist Bryan Pardo has taken his influences to heart and leapt to another level. Drummer Tim Keenan has attained more flexibility, and bassist Dan McNaughton is dedicated to the precious combination of emphasizing interval combinations while keeping time at heart. The result is music that is witty, brawny and accessible. The near 12-minute kicker "Sparkle Guitar" is dedicated to contemporary African music icons like S.E. Rogie and Mbilia Bel, with Pardo's free dancing tenor akin to Archie Shepp boogies on top of an implied "St. Thomas" styled calypso suggestion. More implied than overt calypso is heard on the lighthearted "The See You Later Library," where Pardo adopts a stance further like the composer of "St Thomas," Sonny Rollins. "Stumble" is a good angular bopping blues where Pardo sounds decidedly individualistic, a loose, unhurried, spatial counterpoint informs "Three Questions," and a slow, dark, underground slink with Pardo and McNaughton in unison exemplifies the good collective listening powers the three display during "Right Round The Corner/Up Though The Cracks." The band returns to the Crescent City mode with a shuffle "Payne's Remedy," as infrequent complete stops lead to a more neo-bop approach. The group has not so much refined their playing as they are expanding the parameters, and are discovering what they are capable of. This can also be a revelation for the listener who pauses and closely listens to this CD, full of realized potential and equally present with additional new horizons to seek."--Michael G. Nastos
Spider Trio has been around since 1997. I had been writing tunes almost since I started playing bass (thanks Mark Bunker!) and by the early 90s the tunes began to be jazz. My version of jazz. Anyhow, the first Spider Trio was myself, Joe Williams on drums, and Earle Brown on tenor, although for the shows at Cafe Brasil at the very beginning Jesse Lewis played guitar. Permission, the first ST cd, was recorded in New Orleans in 1998 with Joe and Earle. After NOLA I ended up in Ann Arbor, where there were a couple of versions of the band: Alex Anest on guitar, Jordan Young on drums, and myself on (you guessed it) bass. Then Bryan Pardo stuck his head into a room where I was playing with some folks, and a few sardonic comments later he and I were playing shows as a duo and with Jordan. During the time in AA I did make it back to NOLA to play with Joe and Earle and once just with Earle. I got that itch to ramble again and this time made for Chicago, where Tim and I met at a jam session. We spent several months doing an avant garde open session, and when Bryan moved to Chicago in fall 2004 the latest Spider Trio took shape. Earlier that year Bryan and I did a mini-mini-mini tour and did a trio show with Joe in DC.
Our two cds are available at http://cdbaby.com/cd/spidertrio
and http://cdbaby.com/cd/spidertrio2.
It's 7am, The sun is barely up and I'm warming up and digging out the car , again< to take T'cwii down to volunteer at the Shedd. There was ice on the inside of the windshield till I got down to the Shedd.
And on to a House with a taller basement! We may have found one. I enjoyed Wednesday night for the most part.
Sometimes I felt like I was the 40 something guys I used to hear when I first came to town and hanging out at the get me high & bop shop, except I'm not a heroin addict.
Oh hey, Kenny even paid the band after everyone else left. I'll have to bring the riches Wednesday.
Our first show back @ Morseland in over 3 months, are you ready? We’re working on a new album, so when you join the party this Saturday, June 21st @ 10pm, groove to the ? Take a look @ the video below, it sounds like HUDSON!
