The eminent jazz ensemble known as Trio Aligraya have released their latest EP record, titled, “Aligraya,” to widespread critical and fan acclaim. The album is mostly improvisational jazz by three of the genre's most creative performers, Marco Piali, John Graves, and Cengiz Yaltkaya, who play drums, bass, and piano respectively. The entire record, as noted by Piali himself, has been “recorded in a two-car garage during full-moon nights.” It is the most significant and impressive work from Trio Aligraya to date, and currently represents their flagship album.
The sound of the record is lively and energetic. Its mellow moments have an exceptional amount of momentum, seamlessly gliding from one movement into the next, each of them innovated almost totally off the cuff. “Aligraya”'s mood is multifaceted, with no one tone or color at any given point, but presenting several shades at all times. It thrums, rolls, hums, boils, shakes and grooves, sometimes all at once. It is an intellectual sonic experience, and one that can be enjoyed via intent listening or as background music. Trio Aligraya is fantastically full sounding, a feat even more impressive with only three members.
Trio Aligraya is from the eclectic music hotbed of Southern California, San Pedro, which locale also boasts famous musicians such as Mike Watt and George Hurley of The Minutemen, Krist Novoselic of Nirvana, and Eric Erlandson of Hole. The area is well known for producing highly experimental forms of music, often with great success.
Concerning their own creative process, drummer Piali writes, “Mostly it is trio improvisation. I provide the initial elements, then I capture the performances, then I select sound, shape and craft during the editing, mixing, and mastering process.”
Piali politely declines to mention main artistic influences, saying only of Trio's music that, “I share sounds, a vibration. Trio Aligraya is an experiment with tuning, frequencies and improvisation.”
“Aligraya” by Trio Aligraya is available online worldwide in late spring 2013.
-Sean McCauley