Peter Kienle is a guitarist/composer in the John Abercrombie tradition of thoughtful, atmospheric fusion. The debut recording of his trio, Third Man, is tight, intelligent, and attractive. Wilhoit shows considerable Billy Cobham influence and Helsley [+]Peter Kienle is a guitarist/composer in the John Abercrombie tradition of thoughtful, atmospheric fusion. The debut recording of his trio, Third Man, is tight, intelligent, and attractive. Wilhoit shows considerable Billy Cobham influence and Helsley, though sticking to acoustic bass throughout, displays some Stanley Clarke/Jaco Pastorius roots to go with his solid, straight ahead chops. All but three of the tunes are by Kienle (the others are by Dave Bruker), and those three seem to me the weakest on the disk. Kienle's pieces display a delicate ear for interesting harmonies and changes. His sound and technique are also very inviting: there's just the right touch of vibrato, phasing, reverb and distortion kissing his cool chords and fluid runs. There are a lot of influences, but they all fit well together. In addition, all the playing is very good. On the opener, "E.T.C.A.H.N." (don't ask me what that stands for) Kienle utilizes a washy, steel drum-type sound for much of his high-powered solo. "Evil Forces" opens like a vintage Mahavishnu Orchestra rampage (though it doesn't retain this feel)), and the melancholy "Blind Spot" has changes in it that reminded me of (get this!) Joni Mitchell. But in spite of the multiplicity of influences, there is a sweet, misterioso quality to most of the tunes, providing the whole enterprise with a consistent purpose. A number of the pieces have a slightly raucous feel, so that all they'd need is some furious comping on a distorted Hammond to fit nicely on a Tony Williams Lifetime album. In fact, one tune, "Kimbrellation", even comes fully equipped with a punchy, Williamsesque drum solo. Three of the last four tunes don't do much for me, with a couple - particularly "aBROXimation" - seeming to need a saxophone or other lead instrument to soar over the top. (Mark Shim, would be a good fit with this band.) On the other hand, there's some excellent guitar and bass work on the closing "Navigator. Clearly, Third Man leads one to expect some great music from this solid Indiana trio during the coming years.
Walter Horn, Cadence Magazine, October 1998, page 108
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Three Wise Men
There's a joke going around that Bloomington needs another jazz group like it needs, well, you fill in the clever statement of your c
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