Luis Perdomo Trio

Luis Perdomo's time as an accompanist to Ravi Coltrane has served him well, introducing this very fine young yet experienced player to modern jazz audiences. He's impressive as a modal player with energy and chops to burn, but during this trio effort shows a sensitive side, while not opting for tame or watered-down mainstream jazz. Bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Eric McPherson are both quite capable players who also understand how to turn the volume down just a touch in order to find balance and symmetry. The Venezuelan-born, N.Y.C.-based Perdomo is also an accomplished composer, writing five of the 11 selections, while choosing three others out of a Latin-based grab bag and interpreting three well-known standards. Enjoying his stentorian options to extend his remarks on familiar melodies, the pianist really stretches out on the waltz bop version of Kurt Weill's "Speak Low," skating around it in implied phrases. The talented pianist digs right into a solo version of Bud Powell's difficult "Oblivion," and reads "Almost Like Being In Love" straight-forward with the trio. He's picked some relatively unknown heritage material like "Piensa en Mi" and "Chimanta," the former a slow but not still ballad, the latter a modal spirit song that's putty in his hands. Of his originals, "Unexpected" sports many twists and turns, starting out sounding like "A Night in Tunisia" in 10/8 time, and moving to dazzling multiple made-up lines. "Shine" is another indirect improvised concept in cascading and free, peaceful motifs; "Fulia Chant" is in 6/8 with the drum brushings of McPherson; and "Slap" is a piano and bass with drum exchange, a post-bop swinger that is elusive rhythmically. Of the many piano-bass-drums jazz trio recordings that tumble into the marketplace year after year, this one is notable and a standout from the crowd. If you enjoy peer-group pianists like Danny Grissett, Gerald Clayton, and Taylor Eigsti, you'll gravitate toward the ever-evolving and emerging talent of Luis Perdomo -- one to keep an eye and ear on over the upcoming decades. - Michael G. Nastos ALLMUSIC.COM

Discover Jazz Festival, Burlington, Vermont: Garden of Musical Delights

From the very first notes struck by The Luis Perdomo Trio, it was abundantly clear they were going to bring a classic jazz format to full fruition. The intensity rose through the first two numbers while Perdomo and co. found the perfect foil for the rollicking "Baby Steps" (written by the leader's wife) in the gorgeous balladry of "Comedia."

Certainly the piano trio was perfectly suited to the low-ceilinged intimate downstairs venue and vice versa: the acoustic piano, double bass and minimal drum kit was all perfectly audible in almost audiophile sonority throughout the first set. As they played, there wasn't a wasted note as each musician aligned with the other two, overlapping only enough to create an ensemble sound without sacrificing their individual instrumental personality. - Doug Colette- ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM

LUIS PERDOMO & THE SPEED OF SOUND
The first show of this year's jazz fest in the more intimate confines of FlynnSpace was fast, and I don't mean time-wise: The two-set gig by the Luis Perdomo Trio clocked in at more than two hours. But, man, that music was flyin'. Piano-man Perdomo, bass player Hans Glawischnig and drummer Eric McPherson set a quick pace from the start with "Nomads," which kicked in with a Latin pulse and dark undertones before building into a rapid whirl carrying the notion of motion and travel the title suggests. Other tunes in the first set - especially "Baby Steps" by Perdomo's wife, bass player Miriam Suillivan - had that same vibe of sophisticated American jazz with a strong forward momentum. Only a couple of pretty but relatively tepid slower numbers cut into the energy.

The second set after a 15-minute break was looser, as Perdomo pointed out before pointing to one of the reasons why - the bottle of beer Glawischnig was holding in his hands. The members of the trio showed off their individual skills a bit more in the latter half of the night, with McPherson producing a phenomenal drum solo that had his arms beating as fast as a hummingbird's wings.

I had a couple of down minutes at the office before I left for the show, and I found myself browsing the transactions on the Associated Press sports wire to see if my New York Mets had dumped any of their chronically under-achieving ballplayers. Didn't see any signs of that, but I did see that the San Diego Padres put a player on the disabled list. His name? Luis Perdomo. He had the initials "RHP" in front of his name, which in this case signifies "right-handed pitcher," not "red-hot pianist." - Brent Hollenbeck- BURLINGTON FREE PRESS

Awareness is a resolute work of progressive jazz by one of today’s emerging pianists, Luis Perdomo. The Venezuela native has memorably contributed to recordings of bright jazz names like Ravi Coltrane (In Flux, Savoy, 2005), Miguel Zenon (Jibaro, Marsalis Music, 2005) and Dafnis Prieto (About The Monks, ZOHO, 2005).

Where his 2005 debut Focus Point (also on RKM) was more of an introduction, this recording is a dynamic view of original pieces that are more distinct and free, in a primarily trio setting with bandmates bassist Hans Galwischnig and drummer Eric McPherson. The vibrancy of the music and the sheer strength of the performances are more open and stylized, giving a further glimpse into Perdomo’s cerebral concepts, which include influences from Afro-Latin, European classical and jazz music.

The surprise is that Perdomo now makes creative use of two bassists and two drummers simultaneously on half of the pieces, with the addition of drummer Nasheet Waits (a member of pianist Jason Moran’s Bandwagon) and master bassist statesman Henry Grimes (who has recorded with Don Cherry and Sonny Rollins). The idea of a double trio with one pianist may not be entirely new, but within this context, it works wonders by giving the music a layered and dense feel that is open to possibilities but never congested.

Something special happens when the dual walking bass lines and contrasting drum sections lay out support for Perdomo while he solos fiercely on the opening piece, “Street View: Biker.” The music is melodic, aggressive, with traces of free jazz and plenty of interaction from everyone. “Ishtar” flows with a rubato-like cadence, featuring Perdomo laying down beautifully twisting playing; the exhilarating rhythm section work on “Polrais” involves Glawischnig and McPherson’s precise timekeeping, as well as blistering solos.

The strange beauty of the abstract “The Song of the Forgotten” comes with Grimes and Glawischnig delivering dual arco solos as the twin drums shower the piece with percussion. You can take an adventurous trip on “Tribal Dance” as the double trio plays with both chaos and control, culminating in a twin drum solo from McPherson and Waits. Just when you thought piano trio recordings were sluggish and predictable, along comes Awareness. Highly recommended.

- Mark Turner- ALL ABOUT JAZZ

Venezuela-born Luis Perdomo is, first and foremost, an incredible pianist. A former child prodigy, he’s now 35, has absorbed just about every conceivable kind of music and excels in every area. Be it Latin, South American, North American, European classical, straightahead jazz, avant garde… you name it. As he says “It’s all music”.

This second album is even more impressive than his debut Focus Point two years ago. It’s self-produced (with the assistance of two sympathetic Brooklyn engineers—Bobo Fini and Peter Karl) and the piano sound is just about perfect. There are two groups involved. The basic trio has Glawischnig (the Austrian, who deservedly seems to be the first-call bassist on most of these ground-breaking Latin sessions) and former McLean pupil McPherson, who is rapidly developing into a major talent. Their chemistry with Perdomo is quite remarkable in the way they anticipate where he’s taking the music, then adapt and develop their own thing.

Perdomo’s melodic and harmonic ideas (some, familiar-sounding; others, totally unexpected) are all tied in with his rhythmic conception, which varies from track to track. He is a truly masterful musician and his idea to use a double trio on five tracks—which could have been a disaster—turns out to be extremely successful. Grimes (once a Rollins regular, then a collaborator with Sun Ra, before disappearing from the scene for nearly twenty years) works astonishingly well, often bowed, together with and apart from Hans, while Waits seems joined at the hip with McPherson in their cauldron-stirring time-keeping and dual solo spots, which are especially inventive.

With distinction, Perdomo has graced the bands of, among many others, Ravi Coltrane, David Sanchez, John Patitucci and Ray Barretto. Now it’s his time to shine. Given the exposure, he could win standing ovations at concert halls everywhere and give the Keith Jarretts of this world some strong competition.

It’s doubtful whether I’ll hear a more outstanding piano record all year. Please check it out.

- Tony Hall JAZZWISE (UK)

Venezuela-born pianist Luis Perdomo plays hard, earnest jazz, with Latin jazz serving as his jumping off point. Nine of the 11 cuts are his, and his penchant for mixing things up with various personnel is evident from track to track. The opener is a sizzling Latin blues, an appropro intro, but then comes a couple of off-kilter numbers that suggest restless fermentations, the crack band of altoist Miguel Zenón, Ravi Coltrane on tenor, bassist Ugonna Okegowo and drummer Ralph Peterson playing in a spirit akin to Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman, circa mid '60s fast-forwarded to the 21st century.
"Procession" is a pretty melody that might suggest a funeral or a walk in the woods. Played as a trio number this ballad gives off mourning, mystery and a break from the syncopated intensity of the first three songs. The more lyrical side to Perdomo's writing continues with the zest "San Millan." Played with the same trio (bassist Carol DeRosa) plays percussionist Roberto Quintero, the song's melody lines are both oblique and fetching, Perdomo's peppery right-hand moves are the perfect match for what amounts to a warm, almost soothing left-handed chordal attack. Throughout Focus Point, Perdomo's apparent aversion to a formulaic through Perdomo's musical veins. - John Ephland-DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE

Ben Ratliff, New York Times, "Critic's Choice: New CD's"


Focus Point
Luis Perdomo

The Venezuelan-born pianist Luis Perdomo plays serious, analytical music, wrapped in complexities of rhythm, with curling unison lines for piano and saxophone set over the interlocking of a drum set and a pair of batá drums. His sound is related to the music of Steve Coleman, Danilo Perez, Vijay Iyer and Dave Holland: the apotheosis of the groove, and its development through Afro-Cuban rhythms and funk.

For Focus Point (RKM), his first album, Mr. Perdomo plays with Ravi Coltrane (in whose band he has been a permanent member for some years now); the Puerto Rican saxophonist Miguel Zenón, a graceful, light-toned musician; the drummer Ralph Peterson; and other contributors. As with the albums above, the tracks differ widely, from solos to duets to quartets and quintets. This music is energetically limber, and proof that "Latin jazz" is an almost misleadingly clinical term. At this level, jazz and Latin music have dissolved into each other. - Ben Ratliff - NEW YORK TIMES