Bryan Beninghove

The sparsely literal title of this CD is fitting. Organ Trio is no-frills and resolutely workmanlike, essentially a bar-band set of nine blues-laden cuts. Taking their cues from five decades back, saxophonist Bryan Beninghove, organist Kyle Koehler and drummer Don Williams don’t lack passion. Even so, the final result often feels as if it were not so much performed as programmed. 

Lack of cohesion is partly to blame. Beninghove sports an agreeably burred delivery on both tenor and baritone sax, inclining to brawn over finesse. Koehler exercises all aspects of the organ, generally favoring Jimmy Smith’s soul over Larry Young’s modal. Meantime, Williams is predisposed to forcing the time, but otherwise offers unadorned and modest time-keeping. Absent, however, is genuine integration, a flaw particularly notable during transitions between solos, into double-time and at tune’s close. These moments often have a mechanical cast.

That shortcoming aside, Trio occasionally succeeds. A particularly notable example is on Wayne Shorter’s “Adam’s Apple,” one of four live tracks. On this cut the trio taps directly into the tune’s loping melody and funky groove. Beninghove’s baritone sax solo is among his most relaxed, larding a tour of the instrument’s range with abundant raw energy. Koehler’s solo is also among the more memorable efforts, picking up where the baritone solo leaves off and launching into the tune’s (and perhaps the album’s) most climatic
moments. It’s not the polished performance of a well-rehearsed band, but the track nevertheless offers everything that can be expected from a rocking cover of a classic tune. Unfortunately, there’s little else offered here to further fulfill those expectations.