What
is The Paul Abella Trio? Beyond being three (sometimes four) guys that
love to play music, they're at a loss at this point. They've been
called everything in the book: Jazz Trio. Jam Band. Latin group.
Frankly, there's some merit to all three. Taking their cues from a long
list of jazz guys who came to get down, like Les McCann, Ramsey Lewis,
George Benson, Mongo Santamaria and a host of others, The Paul Abella
Trio plays people music. Just as Ramsey, Les and Benson could all weave
through jazz tunes, funk jams and R&B songs with aplomb, so does
the PAT. Their sets run the gamut, from the urbane folk of Mitch
Corso's original tunes to standards by Monk, Herbie Hancock and John
Coltrane to rock jams by The Grateful Dead, The Beatles and Led
Zeppelin, just to name a few. And while they've made their name around
Chicago on those rock jams, make no mistake - this is a jazz band.
Mitch's guitar evokes George Benson and Grant Green's funk, Bill
Frisell's pastoral colors and Miles Davis' thought provoking solos. Bob
Ferraris' bass immediately calls to mind Jaco Pastorius and Stanley
Clarke. Paul Abella's cajon playing certainly has fewer, if any
precedents - it's not the most common instrument, especially in Jazz
circles. He does credit Idris Muhammed, Billy Higgins, Frankie Dunlop
and Billy Martin as influences on what he's playing, though.
What others have said about the Paul Abella Trio -
"I’ve
never been a fan of bands or musicians that make a conscious effort to
blend or mix genres, styles and influences. I’ve always gravitated
toward the bands that had a more organic approach to distilling their
influences. The bands and musicians I like simply take all of the music
they’ve been influenced by and then just make music in the here and now.
To me, the Paul Abella Trio is that type of band. Are they a jazz band
with classic rock influences, or are they a jam band with a jazz
sensibility? History will tell - but does it really matter in the end?
Paul’s got a vision for the band, and he stands behind it. Listen to the
music. See them live. All I know is that I’ve been fortunate to share a
bill with them several times, and I always marvel at their ability to
entertain a crowd with their unique sound and band chemistry. Granola
jazz? Maybe. But is it good? Yup. For a band like the PAT, labels are
useless - and quality is everything."
