Allison, cardenas & Nash

Ben Allison - bass

Steve Cardenas - guitar

Ted Nash - tenor saxophone, clarinet

Against the backdrop of over 25 years of creative collaboration Ben, Steve, and Ted weave musical conversations that are full of subtlety and surprise. They take turns arranging for the trio, which has released four albums: Quiet Revolution (2018 Sonic Camera), Somewhere Else - West Side Story Songs (2019 Plastic Sax), Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley (2022 Sunnyside/Sonic Camera), and Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols (2024, Sonic Camera).

The trio is modeled after reedist/composer Jimmy Giuffre’s drummerless units of the 1950s and 60s. As jazz was becoming more expressionistic and at times bombastic, musicians like Giuffre were going in the opposite direction. They were envisioning quieter music that maintained elements of blues and folk, while also embracing the emerging qualities of free playing.

RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 2, 2024

CD, 24-BIT FLAC, ALL MAJOR STREAMING PLATFORMS

On their stunning new release Ben Allison, Steve Cardenas, and Ted Nash turn their attention to the unique and ever-surprising music of the under-appreciated pianist-composer Herbie Nichols (1919-1963). The album features six previously unheard compositions, along with re-workings of two tunes first recorded by The Herbie Nichols Project in 2000 (Strange City, Palmetto).

“Healing Power is intimate and highly conversational in tone — a ‘musical trialogue,’ where group interplay is the focus.”