Label: See Tao Recordings, 2025

Personnel - John Yao: trombone;

Trombonist, composer, and bandleader John Yao assembles a 17-piece ensemble, enlisting more than just improvisers to perform big band arrangements of his small group compositions. Throughout, you’ll encounter dense layers of sound and punchy collective passages that at times feel overly cerebral.

“Upside” features well-placed horns in a loosely through-composed piece with an uplifting vibe. It begins to swing during David Smith’s trumpet solo, then incorporates staccato punches to support Tim Armacost’s tenor sax narrative before returning unabashedly to swing, punctuated by some engaging shifts. “Not Even Close” pays tribute to Thad Jones, evoking the classic old-school vibes of Ellington and Basie.

“Triceratops Blues”, originally written for Yao’s three-horn chord-less quintet and featured on his album How We Do (See Tao, 2019), evolves with confidence, reaching its peak in the conversational exchanges between saxophonist Billy Drewes—a member of Yao’s Triceratops quintet, here on alto—and bass trombonist Max Seigel. Revolving horn eruptions prompt crisp responses by drummer Andy Watson. “The Other Way” introduces another staccato sequence, fierce counterpoint, and athletic, rock-infused drumming. Quick-silver horn lines inject high energy into a piece that showcases veteran tenorist Rich Perry and a trombone excursion by Yao himself.

A more recent composition, the breezy “Song For Nolan” also features Perry and includes a spontaneous dialogue between baritonist Carl Maraghi—who boasts a burningly meaty sound—and trombonist Matt McDonald. While this piece, written for Yao’s son, highlights cyclical mutations in the rhythm flow, Herbie Hancock’s “Finger Painting”—the album’s sole cover—is presented with a broader instrumental palette, though, like the majority of the selections here, it doesn’t quite dazzle the ear or leave a lasting impression.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Upside ► 03 - Triceratops Blues ► 07 - Song For Nolan

Label: See Tao Recordings, 2019

Personnel - John Yao: trombone; Jon Irabagon: tenor saxophone; Billy Drewes: soprano and alto saxophones; Peter Brendler: bass; Mark Ferber: drums.

Following up on the quintet recordings released in 2012 and 2017, trombonist/composer John Yao invests in a three-horn quintet identified by the name Triceratops, a three-horned dinosaur whose puissance symbolizes the force of a piano-less new group featuring saxophonists Jon Irabagon and Billy Drewes, who join Yao in the line of fire, and a solid rhythm team composed of bassist Peter Brendler and drummer Mark Ferber. How We Do comprises eight compositions, seven from Yao and one from Irabagon.

The opener, “Three Parts As One”, is a post-bop burner with a communicative, swinging warmth, to which the horn instrumentalists add considerably. After the saxophonists’ juicy-toned flights, the theme is revisited, officially welcoming the bandleader for his first individual statement. The latter is uttered with joy and filled with fine melodic ideas.

The hooky two-note bass groove laid down by Brendler on “Triceratops Blues” has a contagious effect, guaranteeing harmonic consistency for the theme’s colorful unison lines. In this case, the improvisational stretches belong to Yao, whose sound reveals a dark ripeness, and Ferber, who speaks a comprehensible language all the way.

The title cut, introduced with introspective gloss in a sort of space-time warp, infuses some avant-jazz ambiguity through passages that include vagabond bass moves, a vivid cross-stick beat, and wether distended or fragmented lines. This temperament lasts for approximately two minutes, time when a damn groove in six salute the listener with a touch of Latin and plenty of bluesy lines atop. A reeds-brass dialogue, during which each soloist is attentive to each other’s actions, can be thoroughly enjoyed before Ferber starts trading bars with his bandmates.

Although far from groundbreaking, the pieces are consistently built and I like the way Yao writes. You don’t find wasted notes in the melodies and the environment sustains a mix of contemporary and traditional elements that interweave with clarity of purpose. However, after the elegant progression of the 3/4 “The Golden Hour”, which attempts to capture that time when the sun turns magical, the initial high vibe decays a bit, probably due to the more familiar and rollicking nature of the last tunes.

“Doin’ The Thing” has abrupt and brief double time inflections as its principal attraction, while “Two Sides” and Irabagon’s joyful “Tea For T” are hard-swingers converted into buoyant commemorations. Both incorporate tempo variations, with the latter being expedited in its final course and set to a speed-freak pace.

More like a fun session than anything enduring, How We Do easily connects with the listeners by spreading a musical energy that is strong and palpable. Yao is in the right path.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Three Parts As One ► 02 - Triceratops Blues ► 03 - How We Do