The thrifty lineup of just piano, bass and drums is often regarded as jazz distilled to its essence. It’s about close listening, intimacy, one-touch reactions and democracy, and has operated on these give-and-take principles since the emergence of such pioneers as Ahmad Jamal and Bill Evans in the 50s. Every August, Ronnie Scott’s devotes a week to traditional and cutting-edge exponents of the method, the 2016 edition kicking off on 15 August with a double bill featuring British composer/improviser Nikki Yeoh and the virtuosic Baltimore-born star Cyrus Chestnut.
Yeoh plays solo on her current album, and she cut loose here on some thrilling high-energy rhythm benders with bass-and-drums siblings Mike and Mark Mondesir, while the gospel-raised, technically sumptuous Chestnut often maintained a contrastingly sotto voce delicacy with double-bass maestro Buster Williams and former Chick Corea drummer Lenny White.
Yeoh zigzagged drumlike phrases across the Mondesirs’ crackling hip-hop figures, mixed waltzes and funk, fed provocative Herbie Hancock-like improv lines to her responsive partners, and delighted the crowd with her playfulness on Dance of the Two Small Bears. Chestnut’s light touch and more traditionally sauntering swing were captivating on Hank Mobley’s This I Dig of You, Williams’ velvety sound and White’s imperturbable groove shadowed the leader through gospel melodies, dazzling chord-punching and walking grooves, and if they occasionally played with an overly tasteful restraint, musicality and deep jazz resources steadily glowed through. The show set the bar high for a much-anticipated piano-devoted week.
• Cyrus Chestnut’s trio play Ronnie Scott’s, London, 16 August. The International Piano Trio festival continues at the club until 20 August, with some performances live-streamed. Box office: 020-7439 0747.
