One of the newer acquisitions is the recent reissue of the Jimmy Giuffre 3 album ‘Music for people, birds, butterflies & mosquitoes’ recorded in 1972 for Candid. Those who know me know one of my favourite groups is Giuffre’s trio from the 1960s with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow (although the 1980s version of that trio just didn’t grasp me), so I keep an eye out for other recordings of outside of that trio that might be on interest. I jumped at the ‘New Concerts’ 2 disc album that came out a while ago now (I just checked... 2014... rust never sleeps) and likewise, this reissue leapt out at me – a nice surprise find at Slowboat Records. It appealed for a few reasons... I don’t have any Giuffre from this era, the trio format is a favourite of mine, and I wasn’t familiar with the rhythm section of Kiyoshi Tokunaga (bass) and Randy Kaye (drums). It’s a nice sounding recording too – plenty of clarity from all three instrumentalists - and I’ve really been enjoying it. The 12 pieces are quite concise with pretty much everything under five minutes which keeps things moving along and with Giuffre shifting between tenor sax, clarinet, and flute there’s some nice timbral variety. The folk music tinge that is often part of Giuffre’s vibe is present and this time round it hints a bit at the Middle East and Asia. I don’t much at all about what Giuffre was up to during this time and whether this was a working group or something he threw together for the recording – but I’m leaning towards to former as there is a band sound in place. No one is overplaying or filling gaps unnecessarily. There is room to breathe. I like that. Overall, I’d say the album is fairly introspective, but I don’t mind that at all.
Sipping on an Ardnamuchan throughout.
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