Tricycles

On Tricycles, his latest outing and debut for the Favored Nations Cool label, guitar great Larry Coryell documents the unique chemistry of his current working trio featuring longtime Pat Metheny sidemen Mark Egan on electric fretless bass and Paul Wertico on drums. They open with Larry's swinging mid tempo blues "Immer Geradeaus," paced by Egan's walking bass and Wertico's insistent ride cymbal and unpredictable snare work. Larry cuts across the grain here with his note choices and edgy attack before settling into some Wes-inspired octave work. Egan's facile bass solo here is a fluid, low-end marvel. Their rendition of Coryell's previously recorded "Dragon Gate" (the title track of his 1989 album and also featured on 1997's Spaces Revisited) is a challenging intervallic workout based on Wayne Shorter's composition "Footprints" that showcases some creative exchanges between Coryell and Wertico, who also erupts into a flurry at the tag. At age 61, the legendary guitarist is right on top of his game, playing with a masterful balance of fire and finesse, clarity and conviction. And in the company of Wertico and Egan, he takes it up a notch on Tricycles.