Gary Versace - Three Track Mind (2026)

It is often the case that the creation of successful art comes down to basic factors. For jazz music, talent and creativity are obvious essentials. But what usually drives music further is trust between performers and a sense of spontaneity in performance. Keyboard master Gary Versace aimed to harness all these elements on his new recording, Three Track Mind, a vibrant collection of spontaneous interpretations of classic standards and original compositions featuring bassist François Moutin and drummer Rudy Royston.

Versace has long been admired for his expressive touch on piano, organ, and accordion, appearing alongside a tremendous and eclectic of collaborators. His playing has adorned the work of artists as diverse as John Scofield, Maria Schneider, John Abercrombie, Rich Perry, Ingrid Jensen, Jonathan Kreisberg, Al Foster, and Kurt Elling to name just a few. Versace is also an accomplished composer and educator.

Though, opportunities came often to appear on stage with Royston and Moutin, this trio had never played all together as a unit before this session. Versace first met Royston while playing trio music concerts as a pianist with Ron Miles in Colorado, eventually joining Royston’s “Flatbed Buggy” band for two recordings as an accordionist. Versace and Moutin have found themselves on the bandstand sporadically with vocalists.

It was with this in mind that Versace invited Moutin and Royston to a two-day session at Chris Sulit’s Trading 8s Studio in July of 2024. Versace wanted to create an environment that replicated the feeling of a live set, interpreting well known standards conversationally and allowing each take to evolve as organically as possible.

No pre-conceived intros, endings, or arrangements were used at the session. Often Versace introduces the piece and Moutin and Royston would join in as they wished. Versace has included two takes of Joseph Kosma’s standard “Autumn Leaves” to show the different perspectives that often presented themselves if a song was performed but revisited later in the session.

The program begins with an infectious version of Sonny Rollins’ “Doxy,” where the trio shows the elasticity in their chemistry and their vast expressive range. The first take of “Autumn Leaves” follows with a moody, low-end focused insistency that breaks with moments of swinging romanticism. Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Darn That Dream” explores subtle reharmonizations and off-kilter rhythmic devices. “Homeland” is one of Versace’s oldest compositions, its simple form and folk-like melody making it a perfect vehicle for the trio’s open and moodily expressive interpretation, while the trio’s take on Victor Young’s ballad, “Stella By Starlight,” takes a more swinging approach.

The buoyant “All Our Things” is an interpolation of a standard but stands on its own as a piece with dynamism driven by the energy of Royston’s drumming. The ruminative “In The Footsteps of Giants” reimagines a Coltrane derived harmonic device into a curious but warm ballad. The trio revisits “Autumn Leaves” next, finding an understatedly playful way to deliver this bluesy rendition. The rumbling introduction to Versace’s “Turquoise” unravels into tumbling piano runs and cascading rhythms built from a well-known musical chord progression. The recording concludes with “Walter Theodore,” a jauntily engaging tune that bookends the recording perfectly with energy and verve.

Finding just the perfect balance of elements, Gary Versace brings to fore an openminded and expressive trio with François Moutin and Rudy Royston. Together they present Three Track Mind, an intimate and explorative recording of a trio that should not be missed.

Gary Versace - piano
François Moutin - bass
Rudy Royston - drums