I love music! That’s what I kept thinking to myself after listening to the new album from Philadelphia’s Time for Three, a self-proclaimed “classically trained garage band.” The band is made up of Violinists Zachary De Pue, Nick Kendall and Bassist Ranaan Meyer. This is classical fusion that mixes bluegrass, jazz, folk and Phish (or insert any jam band you want there). The trio played together while studying at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, and apparently gained a reputation for fun shows and genre-bending exploits. That energy seems to have never left, as it comes out loud and clear through the live performances on “3 Fervent Travelers.”
At times reminiscent of John Zorn’s Masada String projects, and other times like Yo-Yo Ma’s bluegrass explorations with Edgar Meyer and Mark O’Connor, each song takes on a personality of its own, with shadings of music from a number of different genres. There is a virtuoso quality to the playing throughout that is characteristic of great jazz or classical records that I used to listen to and wonder about how someone could make an instrument I heard a million times sound completely unique.
The album opens with an Americana-flavored tune, “Wyoming 307,” which starts off still and gains momentum as each instrument picks up the pace and takes its turn with the toe-tapping hill-country melodies. Syncopated bass slaps and plucking of the violin strings along with the layered sounds of the trio give the illusion that there are way more musicians taking part in this than there are. The improvisation is not chaotic and keeps you grounded in a jazz feel throughout the country-tinged sounds.
The second song, “Forget About It,” sounded the most like the Masada String Trio to me, because of its Klezmer-like melody. Again the strings move at such speed and with amazing interplay, that my ear was clinging to each note. Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek” is probably my favorite track on the disc. It has some of the most beautiful playing I’ve heard on a jazz or classical album for some time. Each instrument meshes perfectly to build and swell into a hymn-like melody that made me forget I was stuck in a car somewhere. Another cover song is the fantastic “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. The trio avoids messing with the melody, which makes for a gorgeous and respectful classical version of that wonderful song. Most of the tracks are originals, however, and no two songs sound alike. The group’s sense of humor is heard various times throughout the album, but not more than on “Orange Blossom Special.” Not only does the quirky bass solo (which really rocks!) bring the audience to laughter, but there are hidden jewels buried throughout the song, such as themes from The Simpson’s and Peter Gunn.
In the end, this is a great classical album, which may gain new listeners to that misunderstood genre. I’m sure Time For Three would be amazing to see live, because of the improvisation and interplay. But “3 Fervent Travelers” seems to have bottled that live energy. It is a great way to spend an hour with plenty of subtleties to discover on repeated listens.
Reviewed by Matt Milligan
