sclavis/taborn/rainey: eldorado trio - OK, it's from 2010, but new to me + certainly sounds fresh AF. after re-listening to the tapscott/carter masterpiece "the dark tree," i was doing a little digging on clarinetists, wondering who's been holding the post-john carter torch. (i already know about my man don byron + his pal biz markie). but i digress. i had seen the name louis sclavis on ECM before, despite my willful blindspot for european players. but the names taborn + rainey were what jumped out at me on this clean feed gem. WOW. this one's a stunner. they cover lots of moods + flavors, and the closing title track is worth the price of admission alone: a ghostly lyrical lullaby in a "fluerette africaine" kinda mode. sclavis has a sweet tone, well-seasoned + melodic but edgy too. taborn doesn't even sound like a pianist at times, i swear he's got some Kris Davis-style tricks hiding under the lid, but i think it might just be his touch. rainey is bizarre + disorienting one moment, then swinging hard or laying down heavy grooves the next. i can't quite wrap my head around his approach + i like it that way. it's crazy to watch how awkward his movements look, while sounding so smoov, even when the music is sharp + angular. as sclavis sez, they "easily find a group sound since the first note.” 

_DJ Galvatron