Crimson Jazz Trio
King Crimson Songbook - Volume One

THE REVIEW

Ian Wallace (1946-2007), who recently passed away from cancer, was a drummer with a long and honorable career as a sessionman (he played with, among others, Alexis Korner, Ten Years After, Humble Pie, Bob Dylan, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, Traveling Wilburys, Tim Buckley) but is especially known to Crimson fans for having been part of the lineup that recorded "Islands" in 1971 and that toured in the following months for a few months.

It is known that his very "loose" style is not loved by some fans, who may prefer the more precise (like a goldsmith) style of Michael Giles or the more pyrotechnic style of Bruford. However, it cannot help but intrigue this recent project that sees him, together with Joey Nardone on piano (skilled) and Tim Laden on fretless bass (excellent, I assure you he does not make one miss Tony Levin), reinterpret a significant selection of the Crimson repertoire (including pieces from the '80s) for a jazz trio.

Let's be clear, the master model of Mehldau and his reinventions of pop-rock songs (Radiohead, Beatles, Paul Simon, and the like) is unattainable, and not all the tracks are up to par (the version of Cat Food, in particular, is rather bland) but I feel confident saying that the trio has hit the mark with at least four pieces: 21st Century Schizoid Man (incidentally already recorded by the King Crimson themselves in a Jazz version in one of the various ProjeKCts), Three of a Perfect Pair, Starless and I Talk to the Wind (in these last two, Wallace's work of mimicry is appreciable as he imitates Bruford in the first and Giles in the second).

Before Wallace's premature passing, the trio also managed to record in 2006 a second volume, soon to be released, enhanced by the contribution of Jakko Jakszyk (Level 42, 21st Century Schizoid Band) and Mel Collins: a new schizoid meeting.