Reliably smoking B3 player Brian Charette joins alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbio and drummer Jochen Rueckert on a romp through several swinging originals as well as faithful covers of Steve Winwood’s “Empty Pages,” Wayne Shorter’s “Juju” and John Lewis’ “Milestones.” Charette’s tempo-shifting, chops-busting “Air on a Sunny String” is a good indicator of this trio’s freshness within the age-old organ-trio format. Their chemistry is tight throughout, paced by the organist’s driving basslines and Rueckert’s insistently swinging ride cymbal work. The drummer positively cooks on the title track, which is based on Trane’s “Countdown,” and the band exhibits a loose-tight hookup on Charette’s funky boogaloo “Lawrence of Detroit,” the relaxed 4/4 swinger “Flippin’ the Bird” and the oddly compelling organ-drums duet, “Partita Boy.”
Originally PublishedBrian Charette: Learning to Count
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