Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart - Ramshackle Serenade (2014) [Hi-Res]

This trio is an unusual camaraderie of world-class players. From the moment you first hear the trio you can sense the deep respect the musicians have for one another. Three musicians who never make a big deal about what they are up to, thereby generating an infectious strength through their extraordinarily subtle control of all the musical parts. Their intensely sensual music grooves and glistens. With the trio's extensive use of the music's dynamic possibilities, the passion and joy of this amazingly versatile instrumental lineup is there for all to hear. Sophisticated music - just let yourself go, and enjoy.

This is music you can fall right into. It catches you in its warm sound bed. And as you lie there you can enjoy the many fine details: particulars that are the results of some 25 years of collaboration between these three musicians — musicians who happen to be among the best on their respective instruments. Hammond organist (and pianist) Larry Goldings, guitarist Peter Berstein, and drummer Bill Stewart are an extraordinary team. Here you have everything that the traditional “organ trio” (organ, guitar, and drums) has to offer—exciting grooves, rich, tasty, sumptuous sounds. But the music on this PIROUET CD also has an unusual, subtly intoned intimacy. With their exploitation of the music’s dynamic possibilities, the passion and joy of this amazingly versatile instrumental lineup is there for all to hear. At the same time there is a depth in Ramshackle Serenade that transforms the joy of playing into an exclamation of life.

“Ramshackle”— tumbledown, derelict, dilapidated. “Ram- shackle” was the word Mark Twain used to describe the broken-down shack on the bank of the Mississippi in which the boy who was the model for Huckleberry Finn lived. Larry Goldings, who composed the title piece, says, “As I was looking for a title for the song, I thought about Mark Twain — I don’t know exactly why. Maybe I felt there was a bit of Americana in the piece. As I was busy with Twain, I came across the word ‘ramshackle’, which seemed to fit to the spirit of the piece. There is this melodic counter- movement that appears to continually peel away, and the piece has something fragile about it. But it is also lyrical, so it seems totally appropriate to contrast it with a word like ‘serenade’. We all wanted it as the album’s title. I think that sometimes we as a band let feelings of dissolution and chaos meet up with strength and beauty.

It’s fun to take something beautiful and harmonically and rhythmically turn it around so that certain darker shadows mix in. Tension is crucial when you want to make good music.”

Larry Goldings, hammond organ
Peter Bernstein, guitar
Bill Stewart, drums

Tracklist:
01. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart - Roach (5:46)
02. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart - Luiza (8:41)
03. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart - Simple as That (7:03)
04. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart - Ramshackle Serenade (4:31)
05. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart - Mr. Meagles (8:19)
06. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart - Sweet and Lovely (7:44)
07. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart - Blue Sway (8:19)
08. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart - Useless Metaphor (6:14)
09. Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein & Bill Stewart - Peace (5:51)