Drop Trio
Encyclopedia
Drop Trio is a jazz
band from Houston, Texas
, consisting of Nuje (drums and percussion), Patrick Flanagan (bass guitar
) and Ian Varley (Rhodes piano
, Hammond B3 organ).
Drop Trio publish their music via Magnatune
and gig regularly in Texas and neighboring U.S. states.
In 2007, Drop Trio went two separate tours in the United States. The first found the trio traveling from Houston westward to California and then north to Washington state, stopping in several cities along the way. The second tour took them from Houston to the east coast, including cities such as Washington DC and New York City.
at the renowned SugarHill Recording Studios
in Houston only a few months later. By mid 2003, the tour schedule was too much for Batista to keep up with (his wife was to give birth to their first child in April of that year) and he stepped down as bassist.
Following Batista's departure, Varley and Blattel called on friend and acclaimed Houston guitarist Marc Reczek to join the band on bass.
Reczek soon found the tour schedule grueling, which was compounded by the tour schedule of his own band, Little Brother Project. He too left the band in late 2003. Almost immediately, Batista rejoined the trio on bass, and continued with touring and ultimately recording Drop Trio's 2nd album with Varley and Blattel, the entirely improvised and experimental studio session known as Leap
, on Feb. 29, 2004 once again at Sugarhill.
By late 2004, Batista opted to leave the band again, this time for good. The schedule was again too much to cope with, especially being a new father. He parted ways with Varley and Blattel, who then went on yet another search for a bassist. Their search led them to Patrick Flanagan from Houston. Flanagan had been playing professionally in jazz and rock bands since his early teens, gaining nororiety in North Texas as an experimental virtuoso in several bands (most notably: The Todd Gallagher Experience and Fort Worth's own- Spiritual Hum). Soon after Batista's departure, Flanagan jammed with Drop Trio on several occasions, each time yielding more and more amazing results. Almost immediately, Flanagan joined them on the road, and it was during this time that the band grew immensely both as artists and a well-respected progressive jazz trio from Houston.
Flanagan's first official recording session with the band was to record Cézanne, the 3rd installment in the Drop Trio discography. The album was recorded live at Houston jazz venue of the same name. The album has been repeatedly heralded by many music critics and fans, and was a complete and total departure from the previous album Leap
(which itself was a departure from the first album Big Dipper
). This exploratory musical sense is the hallmark of Drop Trio's sound.
after she witnessed their performance at Cactus Music in Houston. Knowles loved what she heard, and wanted to write lyrics and a vocal line to an existing Drop Trio song. The band agreed, and Knowles and her producers went to work. The end result was Knowles track "Freedom" which was a slightly rearranged version of "Lefty's Alone" from Drop Trio's first album, Big Dipper
. "Freedom
" was featured on the Johnson Family Vacation
soundtrack in 2004. While the soundtrack sold less than anticipated, fans of Solange Knowles have praised "Freedom", even as far as posting videos with the track on YouTube.
In 2004, Houston-based rapper LRJ recorded "The Ol' Hood" which featured an unedited version of "Slapjack" from Big Dipper
as its backing track. The song was featured on LRJ's album The Hang Over in 2005.
Also, although unreleased as of April 2010, Drop Trio was asked by SugarHill Recording Studios
, in 2003, to record a song by Destiny's Child
for an upcoming compilation CD to be released by the studio. Drop Trio recorded an instrumental rendition of Destiny's Child's "Survivor", in the trio's signature style of organ-dominated funk/jazz. There has been no official announcements as to whether or not this track is to ever be released. For reference, all of the very early Destiny's Child albums were recorded entirely or mostly at SugarHill.
, Art Tatum
, Miles Davis
, Medeski Martin & Wood
, The Meters
, Galactic, Horacio Hernandez
and more unexpected influences from the rock genre such as Yes
, Rush
, Primus
, King Crimson
and The Beatles
.
Their less-than-hidden penchant for progressive rock
, especially its heyday in the 1970s, shines through very clearly on many Drop Trio tracks. Musical elements common to prog-rock, such as odd time signature
s (7/4, 9/8, 11/8, etc.), meandering epic-length compositions, and classical-derived, non-repeating song arrangements have become more and more commonplace in Drop Trio's repertoire as the band has evolved. An early example of this is "Flux" from the Big Dipper
album, a Robert Fripp
influenced track which was written almost exclusively as a study into multimeter funk grooves, replete with angular riffing and an almost clinical, seemingly complex arrangement. Testament to the exploratory nature of "Flux", in 2005 Drop Trio performed an avant garde live set at DiverseWorks in Houston that was composed entirely of varied incarnations of "Flux", rearranged and rewritten to be a pseudo "concept performance" with an obvious theme of composed and impromptu tempo and time signature studies. Fans are divided on whether or not some of Drop Trio's more progressive works are easily listenable for anyone beyond themselves.
Never holding to a single musical influence, one counterpoint (of many) to "Flux" is "The Allen Smithee Show" (also from Big Dipper
) where melodies, brilliantly resolving chords, tone and mood are paramount over patent self indulgence (the latter of which in some ways is the band's overt, albeit charming, modus operandi
.)
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band from Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, consisting of Nuje (drums and percussion), Patrick Flanagan (bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Ian Varley (Rhodes piano
Rhodes piano
The Rhodes piano is an electro-mechanical piano, invented by Harold Rhodes during the fifties and later manufactured in a number of models, first in collaboration with Fender and after 1965 by CBS....
, Hammond B3 organ).
Drop Trio publish their music via Magnatune
Magnatune
Magnatune is an American independent record label based in Berkeley, California, founded in spring 2003 by John Buckman, then-CEO of e-mail software company Lyris. It aims at treating both its musicians and its customers fairly—its tagline is "We are not evil"...
and gig regularly in Texas and neighboring U.S. states.
In 2007, Drop Trio went two separate tours in the United States. The first found the trio traveling from Houston westward to California and then north to Washington state, stopping in several cities along the way. The second tour took them from Houston to the east coast, including cities such as Washington DC and New York City.
Personnel History
Drop Trio started in 2002 when keyboardist Ian Varley, who had just moved to Houston, answered a classified ad on JazzHouston.com posted by drummer Nuje Blattel "seeking keyboardist for jazz/funk trio". They played together, and wrote 2 songs immediately. Blattel then contacted his friend, bassist Nino Batista, and asked him to jam with them the next time they got together. Batista learned the 2 songs they had written from a rough recording from their session, and subsequently jammed, then joined, Blattel and Varley to form Drop Trio in the fall of 2002. The band immediately recorded a 6 track demo called Little Dipper at Batista's home in late 2002, and then their first - and critically heralded - album Big DipperBig Dipper (album)
Big Dipper is the first album released by Drop Trio. The album debuted in 2003 and was self-released by the band. The 45 min record has been heralded by critics all around the world, and is a premier example of melodic funk jazz.- History / Premise :...
at the renowned SugarHill Recording Studios
SugarHill Recording Studios
SugarHill Recording Studios is a recording studio in Houston, Texas. The studio was important in launching the careers of such artists as Lightnin' Hopkins, The Big Bopper, George Jones, the Sir Douglas Quintet, Roy Head, and Freddy Fender. It is renowned for its collection of vintage regording...
in Houston only a few months later. By mid 2003, the tour schedule was too much for Batista to keep up with (his wife was to give birth to their first child in April of that year) and he stepped down as bassist.
Following Batista's departure, Varley and Blattel called on friend and acclaimed Houston guitarist Marc Reczek to join the band on bass.
Reczek soon found the tour schedule grueling, which was compounded by the tour schedule of his own band, Little Brother Project. He too left the band in late 2003. Almost immediately, Batista rejoined the trio on bass, and continued with touring and ultimately recording Drop Trio's 2nd album with Varley and Blattel, the entirely improvised and experimental studio session known as Leap
Leap (album)
Leap is the second album released by Drop Trio. The album debuted in 2004 and was self-released by the band. The album is noted as having been recorded entirely improvised in the studio.- History / Premise :...
, on Feb. 29, 2004 once again at Sugarhill.
By late 2004, Batista opted to leave the band again, this time for good. The schedule was again too much to cope with, especially being a new father. He parted ways with Varley and Blattel, who then went on yet another search for a bassist. Their search led them to Patrick Flanagan from Houston. Flanagan had been playing professionally in jazz and rock bands since his early teens, gaining nororiety in North Texas as an experimental virtuoso in several bands (most notably: The Todd Gallagher Experience and Fort Worth's own- Spiritual Hum). Soon after Batista's departure, Flanagan jammed with Drop Trio on several occasions, each time yielding more and more amazing results. Almost immediately, Flanagan joined them on the road, and it was during this time that the band grew immensely both as artists and a well-respected progressive jazz trio from Houston.
Flanagan's first official recording session with the band was to record Cézanne, the 3rd installment in the Drop Trio discography. The album was recorded live at Houston jazz venue of the same name. The album has been repeatedly heralded by many music critics and fans, and was a complete and total departure from the previous album Leap
Leap (album)
Leap is the second album released by Drop Trio. The album debuted in 2004 and was self-released by the band. The album is noted as having been recorded entirely improvised in the studio.- History / Premise :...
(which itself was a departure from the first album Big Dipper
Big Dipper (album)
Big Dipper is the first album released by Drop Trio. The album debuted in 2003 and was self-released by the band. The 45 min record has been heralded by critics all around the world, and is a premier example of melodic funk jazz.- History / Premise :...
). This exploratory musical sense is the hallmark of Drop Trio's sound.
Collaborations
In late 2003, Drop Trio was approached by Solange KnowlesSolange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
after she witnessed their performance at Cactus Music in Houston. Knowles loved what she heard, and wanted to write lyrics and a vocal line to an existing Drop Trio song. The band agreed, and Knowles and her producers went to work. The end result was Knowles track "Freedom" which was a slightly rearranged version of "Lefty's Alone" from Drop Trio's first album, Big Dipper
Big Dipper (album)
Big Dipper is the first album released by Drop Trio. The album debuted in 2003 and was self-released by the band. The 45 min record has been heralded by critics all around the world, and is a premier example of melodic funk jazz.- History / Premise :...
. "Freedom
Freedom (Solange Knowles song)
"Freedom" was a song released by Solange from the Johnson Family Vacation Soundtrack in 2004.-History:Solange and her producers at Music World Music, the record label of Beyoncé Knowles and Destiny's Child, selected a track by Houston jazz funk band Drop Trio for a new song by rising star Solange...
" was featured on the Johnson Family Vacation
Johnson Family Vacation
Johnson Family Vacation is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Christopher Erskin. It stars Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams, Bow Wow, Gabby Soleil, Shannon Elizabeth, Solange Knowles, and Steve Harvey...
soundtrack in 2004. While the soundtrack sold less than anticipated, fans of Solange Knowles have praised "Freedom", even as far as posting videos with the track on YouTube.
In 2004, Houston-based rapper LRJ recorded "The Ol' Hood" which featured an unedited version of "Slapjack" from Big Dipper
Big Dipper (album)
Big Dipper is the first album released by Drop Trio. The album debuted in 2003 and was self-released by the band. The 45 min record has been heralded by critics all around the world, and is a premier example of melodic funk jazz.- History / Premise :...
as its backing track. The song was featured on LRJ's album The Hang Over in 2005.
Also, although unreleased as of April 2010, Drop Trio was asked by SugarHill Recording Studios
SugarHill Recording Studios
SugarHill Recording Studios is a recording studio in Houston, Texas. The studio was important in launching the careers of such artists as Lightnin' Hopkins, The Big Bopper, George Jones, the Sir Douglas Quintet, Roy Head, and Freddy Fender. It is renowned for its collection of vintage regording...
, in 2003, to record a song by Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
for an upcoming compilation CD to be released by the studio. Drop Trio recorded an instrumental rendition of Destiny's Child's "Survivor", in the trio's signature style of organ-dominated funk/jazz. There has been no official announcements as to whether or not this track is to ever be released. For reference, all of the very early Destiny's Child albums were recorded entirely or mostly at SugarHill.
Influences
While the band expertly, albeit loosely, writes and performs "jazz-based" material with a strong(er) funk rhythmic groove, they are influenced - either directly or subconsciously - by a highly varied set of genres and specific artists. They cite musical influences from jazz and/or funk legends Bill EvansBill Evans
William John Evans, known as Bill Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists including: Chick Corea, Herbie...
, Art Tatum
Art Tatum
Arthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso who played with phenomenal facility despite being nearly blind.Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Medeski Martin & Wood
Medeski Martin & Wood
Medeski Martin & Wood is an American jazz trio formed in 1991, consisting of John Medeski on keyboards and piano, Billy Martin on drums and percussion, and Chris Wood on double bass and bass guitar....
, The Meters
The Meters
The Meters are an American funk band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Meters performed and recorded their own music from the late 1960s until 1977...
, Galactic, Horacio Hernandez
Horacio Hernandez
Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez is a renowned Cuban drummer and percussionist."El Negro" is a gifted musician who represents a new generation of great players following in the footsteps of countrymen Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D'Rivera, Ignacio Berroa, and others. Hernandez plays on the cutting edge of...
and more unexpected influences from the rock genre such as Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, Primus
Primus (band)
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
, King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
.
Their less-than-hidden penchant for progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
, especially its heyday in the 1970s, shines through very clearly on many Drop Trio tracks. Musical elements common to prog-rock, such as odd time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
s (7/4, 9/8, 11/8, etc.), meandering epic-length compositions, and classical-derived, non-repeating song arrangements have become more and more commonplace in Drop Trio's repertoire as the band has evolved. An early example of this is "Flux" from the Big Dipper
Big Dipper (album)
Big Dipper is the first album released by Drop Trio. The album debuted in 2003 and was self-released by the band. The 45 min record has been heralded by critics all around the world, and is a premier example of melodic funk jazz.- History / Premise :...
album, a Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
influenced track which was written almost exclusively as a study into multimeter funk grooves, replete with angular riffing and an almost clinical, seemingly complex arrangement. Testament to the exploratory nature of "Flux", in 2005 Drop Trio performed an avant garde live set at DiverseWorks in Houston that was composed entirely of varied incarnations of "Flux", rearranged and rewritten to be a pseudo "concept performance" with an obvious theme of composed and impromptu tempo and time signature studies. Fans are divided on whether or not some of Drop Trio's more progressive works are easily listenable for anyone beyond themselves.
Never holding to a single musical influence, one counterpoint (of many) to "Flux" is "The Allen Smithee Show" (also from Big Dipper
Big Dipper (album)
Big Dipper is the first album released by Drop Trio. The album debuted in 2003 and was self-released by the band. The 45 min record has been heralded by critics all around the world, and is a premier example of melodic funk jazz.- History / Premise :...
) where melodies, brilliantly resolving chords, tone and mood are paramount over patent self indulgence (the latter of which in some ways is the band's overt, albeit charming, modus operandi
Modus operandi
Modus operandi is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as "mode of operation". The term is used to describe someone's habits or manner of working, their method of operating or functioning...
.)
Discography
- 2003: Big DipperBig Dipper (album)Big Dipper is the first album released by Drop Trio. The album debuted in 2003 and was self-released by the band. The 45 min record has been heralded by critics all around the world, and is a premier example of melodic funk jazz.- History / Premise :...
- 2004: LeapLeap (album)Leap is the second album released by Drop Trio. The album debuted in 2004 and was self-released by the band. The album is noted as having been recorded entirely improvised in the studio.- History / Premise :...
- 2005: Cézanne (live)
- date unknown: (album is currently in production with several tracks already recorded. Album is on hold and currently untitled.)
External links
- Official website
- Nuje Blattel's official website
- Drop Trio on MySpace.com
- Drop Trio @ MagnatuneMagnatuneMagnatune is an American independent record label based in Berkeley, California, founded in spring 2003 by John Buckman, then-CEO of e-mail software company Lyris. It aims at treating both its musicians and its customers fairly—its tagline is "We are not evil"...
's website