Alan Broadbent Trio - Like Minds (2022) [Hi-Res]

Alan Broadbent is one of New Zealand's favourite musical sons and perhaps the most well-known and multi-talented of them all, on 'Like Minds', he takes a seat on the piano bench for his third Savant recording with his trio featuring the great bassist Harvie S and the colourful drumming of Billy Mintz.

Many people are familiar with Alan Broadbent's arranging and conducting for Sir Paul McCartney, Diana Krall, Pat Metheny and Michael Bublé. Others may know Broadbent has received 8 Grammy nominations and won 2 Grammy Awards for Best Orchestral Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal, one for Natalie Cole and one for Shirley Horn.

Together on 'Like Minds' the Alan Broadbent Trio play with notable clarity and poise, and their performances - even those of familiar standards - are wonderfully tuneful, sometimes whimsical and often moving, with the overall effect always coming across as coolly engaging and totally spontaneous. "I'm averse to playing what I jokingly call 'big band trio arrangements,' where everybody plays the rhythmic hits," Broadbent explains. "I'll get a big band if I want to do that. For me, for the trio, I want it to change every time."

Spontaneous and off-the-cuff these 9 tracks may be but the closer you listen, the more inventive and exquisitely crafted they sound, with the recording showing that, without a doubt, these three superb musicians are of like minds indeed.

Alan Broadbent: piano
Harvie S: bass
Billy Mintz: drums