Star rating *** With the untimely death this summer of Esbjorn Svensson, whose trio EST took the piano, bass and drums format of jazz to rock star levels of popularity, promoters are, without being overly ghoulish, keen to find another unit of a similar stamp that might gain the same kind of momentum. Denmark's Rosendal.Earle.Templeton arrived for their Scottish debut advertised as being from the EST school, although they are really more representative of a general and well-established Scandinavian strain where traditional music has coalesced with the gospel flavours and grooves of American pianists such as Bobby Timmons and Billy Taylor to create a romantic but rhythmically assertive style.
Pianist Peter Rosendal has worked in folk groups and it shows in his compositions, which have an easy, dancing quality as well as an unashamed tunefulness. He also has a sensitive clarity in his improvising and, while his music doesn't as yet have the vigour and ability to engage on the scale of recent visitor Jacob Karlzon, or the personality of the much more experienced Bobo Stenson, who's due here shortly, he is certainly heading in the right direction.
He is helped by bassist Graig Earle and drummer Janus Templeton, who get involved as equal partners rather than sidemen. Templeton plays with a composer's awareness, using brushes and sticks, or a combination of both to accentuate, embellish or ignite.
