Geri Allen, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian - In the Year of the Dragon (JMT/Winter & Winter, 1989)

This post is by Scott and Dan

Geri Allen (p); Charlie Haden (b); Paul Motian (d)

Recorded March, 1989

As previous posts reveal, Geri Allen was one of the leading young pianists to enter the jazz world during the 1980s. In the Year of the Dragon finds her in the familiar company of Charlie Haden and Paul Motian, the same trio who recorded Etudes that we reviewed earlier in this blog. The program is varied, and each track contributes to a tremendous album. 

Bud Powell's "Oblivion" leads off the program with zest from all members of the trio. Motian and Allen are particularly engaged with the up-tempo material. Allen's "For John Malachi" follows in a gentler but more deeply probing vein. Then a surprise guest, Juan Lazaro Mendolas, contributes a poignant bamboo flute on his composition, "Rollano." And so it continues for nine wonderful tracks. 

Aside from the tunes by Powell and Mendolas, all the material comes from the trio. There are no popular jazz standards on display, and the freshness of the material focuses attention on the interaction among the trio. Each member gets solo spots, but clearly Allen is leading the way, alternating lyricism, spikey solos, and her trademark style of playing that distinguishes her from all others.

The same tracks appear on both the LP and the CD. The Winter & Winter reissue with the quirky series cover is a nice clean remaster of the original CD.