Rambles, March 2002

The trio of Stevens, Siegel & Ferguson put together just over an hour of good, solid, instrumental jazz in Triologue. When I look at the length of the songs, part of me believes it should add up to more than an hour -- and I wish it did.

The trio is Michael Jeffrey Stevens (piano), Jeff "Siege" Siegel (drums) and Tim Ferguson (bass). The sounds from their instruments blend together smoothly. They are skilled and versatile musicians, at times painting vivid images with the music they create.

They start off with "Some Enchanted Evening" and they leave you feeling like you are walking outside as the sunset starts to ebb. "Vernazza" comes drifting in gently like the mist, a quiet piece of gentle beauty. The steady pulse in "This Nearly Was Mine" helps create a sense of hunger.

There is an elegance and at times a sense of dark pride in "Bloodcount," a song where the pianist's skill really shines. The drums get a chance to dance in "Tin Tin Deo," a song of celebration and joy. "Go Down Moses" starts off strong and returns time and time again to that powerful drive.

The power of "Petit Fleur" doesn't pull you in immediately; you know it is there, but it takes a moment to unfold. And then comes some amazing music in the form of "Eliza Isabella" -- I was already impressed with the music on the CD, but this one just blew me away. There is so much freshness and energy in the song. The CD ends off with "The Lockout," a much stricter and harsher piece with a looser feel.

Triologue is a well-crafted CD. The music is consistently very good, and at times magical. This is another fine slice of the music of the night.

[ by Paul de Bruijn ] Rambles: 23 March 2002

 

IAJRC Journal, Winter 2001/02

Magical. That's the first word that comes to mind when listening to Triologue, the latest from the co-operative trio of Stevens, Siegel & Ferguson. From the high-spirited take of "Some Enchanted Evening" to Strayhorn's pensive "Blood Count" to a late-night "Tin Tin Deo," these guys are hitting on all cylinders in a variety of tempos. The widely ranging material, combined with the intuition that arises from 10 years of playing together and the constantly shifting focus on each of the instruments, helps raise this beautifully played session way above the ordinary. If you're at all interested in jazz piano trios, don't let this one pass you by: it's the real thing. -- Stuart Kremsky

 

All-Music Guide, online

Stevens, Siegel & Ferguson sounds like the name of a New York law firm. The threesome is, in fact, based in New York, but their focus isn't law; pianist Michael Jefry Stevens, drummer Jeff "Siege" Siegel, and bassist Tim Ferguson are an acoustic piano trio specializing in straight-ahead jazz--specifically, post-bop pianism along the lines of Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Alan Broadbent, or Chick Corea. The lyrical Stevens has a crystalline sort of sound and his playing tends to be quite introspective. This CD doesn't get its title from a real word--"triologue" is a word that the jazzmen made up by combining "trio" and "dialogue." What they're trying to get across is that they're a trio who enjoys a strong dialogue, and their performances are undeniably cohesive on this album. The improvisers have as strong a rapport on Walter Fuller's "Tin Tin Deo" and Billy Strayhorn's "Bloodcount" as they do on "Some Enchanted Evening," a well-known standard that isn't being recorded as often as it once was. Although Triologue isn't innovative, the CD isn't without its share of pleasant surprises.

 

 

Cadence, Sept 2001:

Piano trios remain an ever-popular medium of creative Jazz expression and, while their sheer frequency seems to preclude innovation, new contenders continue to crop up and challenge the status quo. Building from a diversity of ingredients, (Stevens, Siegel & Ferguson) erect a self-effacing program steeped in modern precedent.

Drawing on tunes from sources as disparate as the hit musical South Pacific, the songbooks of Strayhorn and Bechet, as well as the fertile pens of the band members themselves, the program serves as the appealing sounding board for the trio's finely honed improvisatory skills. The title of the disc proves an accurate depiction of the players' preferred modus, a unified schema that balances collective synergy with unusually focused individual expression. Thoughtful communication and relaxed but never lackadaisical interplay dominate the nine compositions, though there are sporadic instances, as on Ferguson's "Vernazza," where the three slip slightly into static repetition. The light chatter of Siegel's sticks on the rims buttresses an elastic line by Ferguson, allowing Stevens to coax a stream of subtle variants from the melody of "This Nearly Was Mine." The great Chano Pozo feature "Tin Tin Deo" is similarly presented with an intriguing makeover, the underlying Latin line supplied by Siegel still retaining grease and heat, while the overlapping harmonies sprung from Stevens' keys are doused in a demulsifying cool. Stevens' gossamer touch also fits perfectly with the fragile melodic figures of Strayhorn's "Bloodcount." Bechet's "Petit Fleur" is largely under the aegis of Ferguson's strings, with solos opening and ending. The marionette march of "The Lockout" provides a fitting sense of closure while leaving the door wide open for the further work by this trio that is sure to follow. --Derek Taylor

 

 

Aiding and Abetting, online

I like these guys. I've reviewed all of their albums, and each time I come away impressed once more. This is just a classic piano jazz trio; Michael Jefry Stevens on the bench, Jeff Siegel on drums, and Tim Ferguson on bass (stand up, of course). Three players, each of whom has his own style and way of approaching the material.

And, as usual, that material is rather varied. A couple songs from "South Pacific," a Billy Strayhorn piece, something from Sidney Bechet, a spiritual, and a song which is best known for receiving the Dizzy Gillespie treatment. Oh yeah, each member contributes a song as well.

Which makes this set the least "original" of the trio's four albums, at least in terms of songwriting. Of course, the real trick in jazz is taking a song, no matter who wrote it, and finding something new inside of it. Making that piece your own, if just for a moment. Stevens, Siegel and Ferguson seem to have an instinctive knack for just that.

Of course, such "instincts" are earned by years of hard work. As a trio, these three men take their time working out the various pieces of a song, taking one and then another on a spin around the floor before coming together at the end for a smart summation. Yeah, that's standard theory, but when a trio has the chops and creativity of these three, the "formula" yields beautiful music. The song selection, arrangements and playing are all first rate. This is, quite simply, great jazz.

 

Nashville Scene, 13 December 2001

Imaginary Records has joined the ranks of Nashville labels issuing quality jazz sessions. Its two latest albums are trio dates featuring carefully engineered, nicely crafted and intimate performances that adeptly mix standards, jazz anthems, and original works.

Fifth House by The New York Trio Project matches guitarist Adam Rafferty with bassist John Menegon and drummer Jeff Siegel on a disc that moves from hard bop to Afro-Latin styles.

Siegel joins pianist Michael Jefry Stevens and bassist Tim Ferguson to comprise another group, called Stevens, Siegel & Ferguson, whose Triologue offers a similarly intriguing blend of material. This album begins with a good but derivative version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Some Enchanted Evening," then moves into a solid Ferguson original titled "Vernazza." But the trio's best performance comes on Billy Strayhorn's "Bloodcount," in which Stevens plays with fury and vitality, invoking equally sharp responses from mates Ferguson and Siegel.

Neither disc could be called a masterpiece, but each has enough worthy numbers to deserve being heard by local jazz fans. --Ron Wynn