Such a case is that
of the trio Time for Three www.tf3.com who
have recently released their debut disc for Universal Music Classics www.universalmusicclassics.com/artists/time-for-three
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| 00028948109975 |
Time for Three consists of violinists Zachary (Zach) De Pue
and Nicolas (Nick) Kendall and double-bassist Ranaan Meyer who defy traditional
genre classification with a mix of virtuosity, creativity and showmanship.
The American trio perform music from Bach to Brahms and
beyond and have given world-premieres by Pulitzer Prize-winners William Bolcom
and Jennifer Higdon as well as playing originals and their own arrangements of other
genres.
Their debut album on Universal Music Classics showcases not
only the trio’s melody-rich string weave but also its flair for collaboration,
with the group teaming with pop singer-songwriter Joshua Radin, jazz
saxophonist Branford Marsalis, classical cello star Alisa Weilerstein and
ukulele ace Jake Shimabukuro, among others. The new album features four new items
from popular indie-pop songwriter Joshua Radin's songbook, featuring vocals
from Joshua himself.
The Trio and Jake Shimabukuro open with a piece called Happy Day with harp like phrases from the
ukulele before drums point up a rhythmic beat. As Time for Three join in a
theme that seems to blend folk and world music harmonies there are some most
attractive sonorities, with solo violin and solo ukulele appearing through the
texture. There is a fresh buoyant feel, with Shimabukuro surprising the
listener with the attractive sounds the ukulele can make in the hands of a fine
player.
Roundabouts has the
string harmonies of the Trio swirling around before a theme emerges out of the
mists, full of atmosphere and nostalgia, a lovely piece.
Vocalist, Joshua Radin joins Time for Three for his own
song, Winter, that has an equally atmospheric
opening to which Radin adds the sounds of his guitar, bringing a folksy blend
to a pop style song. This acts as a well-planned variety to the purely
instrumental pieces with, again, more lovely string sonorities.
The pizzicato double bass of Ranaan Meyer opens Banjo Love with a rhythmic motif joined by the other two string players as the
violins weave a rhythmic melody over the pizzicato bass line, slowly becoming
more frenetic in some terrific jazz style playing. These artists are certainly
fine musicians. They occasionally produce the odd vocal outburst as well as clapping
and finger snapping to the bass pizzicato rhythm in this great little piece.
The strings open Queen
of Voodoo before percussion spices up the rhythms. When saxophonist, Branford
Marsalis enters he adds to the free jazz style of this piece – a real foot
tapping piece. Marsalis is on great form and obviously enjoying himself with
this trio.
Joshua Radin returns for Everything'll Be Alright with pizzicato strings before the singer
enters. There are again lovely string sonorities to which Radin’s voice and
guitar blend well. It is the trio that add a more folk like element to this
song.
Most classical music lovers will have heard one or more of Rachmaninov’s arrangements of his Vocalise, but nothing quite like the arrangement played here. Time for Three are joined by Alisa Weilerstein to bring some unusual string harmonies to Rachmaninov’s well known tune, soon pointed up by pizzicato double bass as the two violins and cello weave the melody in this attractive arrangement.
Closer is another
song featuring Joshua Radin. The trio introduces a fast moving rhythmic theme
before Radin enters with the trio’s fine string harmonies blending with the vocalist,
guitar, with drums pointing up the forward flowing rhythm.
A deep pizzicato double bass in a slow rolling theme picked
up by the other strings soon reveals the Lennon and McCartney song behind Norwegian Wood, though to my ears
Chopin (F major Ballade) should take some of the credit. Time for Three weave
some lovely sonorities around the theme before the coda arrives with rich deep
harmonies.
Vocalist Joshua Radin appears again in his song, What if You where he joins the rich
sonorities of the Trio in a strikingly atmospheric song, with, again, the
strings bringing a folk like element.
Bon Iver arranged
Bach’s famous Chaconne In D minor calling it Chaconne In Winter treating it with respect and care whilst
beautifully revealing the layers of musical thought before increasing the tempo with some fine
playing with harmonics and slides and pizzicato passages in the most extended
piece here. The music works through a variety of variations, virtuosic at
times, particularly towards the end where the opening sonorities re-appear to
bring about the coda.
Danny Boy brings
the fine vocals of Lily & Madeline to the pizzicato violin accompaniment which
soon broadens bringing a blend of these two voices together with the
increasingly richer string harmonies that adds so much to this well-known song.
UFO features Time
for Three alone in a folksy little tune that receives some lovely working out
with, at times, a Scottish feel pervading as the music leads to a lovely coda.
For those with tastes that encompass folk, jazz and pop as
well as classical string sounds, performed by top class musicians, this new
release will be very appealing.
I cannot disagree with their publicity that states ‘TF3 is
incredibly relatable to both classical fans and a new generation of music
listeners with wide tastes – each of the group members have been influenced by
an eclectic mix of music genres’.
These artists receive a first rate recording which, in my
download, I found to be clear, detailed and well balanced.
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