Until now, that is. ‘As we speak’ is, to put it mildly, an astonishing album. Weighing in at over 100 minutes, this trio date features musicians who appear to be connected at the brain – or perhaps more accurately the heart. The interaction between the bassist and drummer Danny Gottlieb is already legendary, and these recordings are further testimony to this. In October 1986 I caught the Randy Brecker-Eliane Elias quintet at Fat Tuesday in New York, with Gottlieb and guitarist John Abercrombie. What had impressed me most that night was the telepathic interplay between drummer and guitarist: when Abercrombie was soloing, Gottlieb was right behind him, urging him on, shadowing, cajoling him – it was a breathtaking experience. So when I saw the line-up for this album, I knew that I would be in for treat.

Gottlieb’s playing is urgent, yet playful – open and boisterous. Abercrombie’s sound is sharper and crisper than before – already indicated, however, in his contribution to Charles Lloyd’s ‘The water is wide’. And Egan himself … well, his fretless intonation is flawless, his tone big and growly. This comes closest to a straight-ahead jazz recording, probably the first I’ve ever heard of the bassist, as evidenced especially on the trio compositions on disc 2. The sound painting on the opening title, ‘Spirals’, and the authoritative solos on the title track and on the Latinesque ‘Vanishing point’ serve as early, unequivocal signals of the bassist’s intentions: to capture the exuberant spirit and interplay of his favourite trio recordings. Not only is Egan’s bass upfront, but this is also the album that has him coming into his own as a composer. The only ‘cover’ is the Arthur Schwartz-Howard Dietz classic, ‘Alone together’. The rest is penned either by Egan or by the trio. (In fact, my only quibble here is that the aforementioned piece is played in too fast a tempo, Egan’s masterful take on the melody and soloing notwithstanding. There is obviously no rule that states how tunes should be interpreted; this observation merely reflects my own personal preference.) Egan’s earlier compositions tended to have the character of useful exercises, for ensuring greater finger independence, and arpeggio-related explorations. ‘As we speak’ is the album that comprehensively puts paid to this impression. ‘Your sweet way’ is a ballad that has ‘standard’ written all over it. ‘Mississippi nights’ has a heartlands, Midwestern flavour. ‘Shade and shadows’ is a gently assertive meditation in 3 that picks up steam midway through and features yet another arresting solo by the bassist. ‘Depraw’ has an element of the reverse warp that characterises Monk’s compositions, while ‘Plane to the Trane’ (albeit a ballad) is a soaring, transcendent tribute to the late tenor great name-checked in the title.