Lafayette Gilchrist - Three (2007)

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Lafayette Gilchrist - Three (2007)

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"Imagine pianist Billy Preston in the FBI witness protection program; he hides out in the Washington, D.C., go-go scene and then the jazz underground; he invents an unlikely pseudonym to go with his new style: a sort of twisted, funky, neo-juke-joint avant-gut-bucket." Detroit Metro Times

There’s good reason why jazz fans and critics alike are so excited about Lafayette Gilchrist. The young Baltimore-based pianist and composer hit the scene hard with his 2004 debut, The Music According To Lafayette Gilchrist, and went straight to earning raves for his sophomore release, Towards The Shining Path, in 2005. Emerging from jazz legend David Murray’s Big Band and Quartet, a group in which he still plays to this day, Gilchrist has an approach and presence that’s drawn comparisons to royalty such as Andrew Hill and Thelonious Monk. On Gilchrist’s first two releases, however, he was backed by an eight-piece band with a raging funk horn section. On the aptly-titled third album, Three, he’s captured alone front and center with his trio. In this context, the weight is firmly on Gilchrist to carry the day. He responds with dazzling results that showcase an entirely new side of his musical persona. The compositions swing and groove, the improvisations run from introspective to extroverted with confidence and finesse. On Three, it’s clear that a major new figure is staking his claim to the jazz vanguard.