| Jazz |
The Slow Road: A Timeless Conversation in Jazz
Here is an album that feels as if it has stepped out of another era, like pulling a beloved old book from your shelf, one you’ve read countless times, only to discover its pages once again with undiminished delight. The effect is immediate and unmistakable, and it’s hard not to think of certain Gerry Mulligan records in both form and feeling. From the first notes, The Slow Road feels like home.
The jazz trio is one of the great enduring formats in the history of music’ long predating the birth of jazz itself, and omnipresent throughout its evolution. It’s a timeless configuration that demands both unity and individual brilliance. With only three instruments, each player shoulders more weight, more risk, and more room to shine.
Triology, a Vancouver-based trio formed in 2008 and active ever since, stands out even within this tradition. Its unusual instrumentation, Miles Black on piano, Bill Coon on guitar, and Jodi Proznick on bass’ dispenses with the drummer altogether. Following in the footsteps of iconic drummer-less trios like those of Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, and Ahmad Jamal, Triology summons a sound that’s at once classic and fresh, intimate and richly swinging. Their interplay evokes an era gone by, yet lives fully in the now.
Forgoing drums places a unique burden on the bass, which must anchor the rhythm with unwavering precision, even as it takes flight for its own solos. This isn’t just craftsmanship; it’s high art. Each musician brings a deep well of knowledge and culture to the performance, and the result is a rich, rounded sound that flows through the album’s nine vignettes with elegance and ease.
There’s another cherished tradition in the world of jazz trios: inviting a guest artist—often a master in their own right—to join forces, creating a moment of pure alchemy. Cellar Music producer Cory Weeds had just such an idea: pair Triology with legendary tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton for a full album collaboration. The trio jumped at the chance. The result is The Slow Road—a seamless, richly textured work that weaves together beloved standards, hidden gems, and original compositions.
Much like Stan Getz with the Oscar Peterson Trio, Joe Henderson with the Wynton Kelly Trio, or John Coltrane with Red Garland, this project is arranged to foreground interplay and swing. Hamilton’s singular tone merges effortlessly with the trio’s fabric, allowing each voice to shine independently while contributing to a greater whole. The sound is warm, cohesive, and deeply human.
Scott Hamilton is a chapter of jazz history all on his own. Over the years, he has recorded with Dave McKenna, Jake Hanna, Woody Herman, Tony Bennett, Gerry Mulligan, Flip Phillips, Maxine Sullivan, Buddy Tate, and Warren Vaché, not to mention many collaborations with Rosemary Clooney and his mentor Ruby Braff, with whom he held residencies at London’s Pizza Express Jazz Club in the mid-1980s. He has toured and recorded extensively with ensembles such as the Concord Jazz All Stars, the Concord Super Band, and George Wein’s Newport Jazz Festival All Stars.
The influence of Gerry Mulligan is clear, yet Hamilton never imitates. Instead, he distills the spirit of his forebears into something personal and precise, developing his own language through subtle inflections. Each piece on The Slow Road feels like a gentle rewriting, a new frame for a familiar picture. The rhythm becomes not just a pulse but a setting, a backdrop that invites deeper listening, slow jazz in the purest sense, far from the noise and haste of city life.
That, perhaps, is the true magic of The Slow Road: an album that takes its time, and takes you with it.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor for All About Jazz
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, April 25th 2025
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Musicians: Miles Black – piano, Bill Coon – guitar, Jodi Proznick – bass, Scott Hamilton – tenor saxophone
Tracklist:
Luna
Pompton Turnpike
Luiza
Slow Road
Moose The Mooche
Hi-Fly
I Thought About You
Thanks For The Memories
Blues For Fraz