BAW Trio- Introducing BAW Trio

 BAW Trio’s first album is the kind of chameleon one would expect from New Orleans musicians.Whether you are listening to it while cooking in your own kitchen, enjoying a Cuba Libre at a jazz club, or they’re playing tracks off the album at a club on Frenchmen, the tunes on this LP grip you.This is not an album where old 1920’s pop is covered, nor something that tries to distance itself from traditional jazz; this album is a fusion of the old and the new, drawing upon the classics we all know and love while avoiding playing covers or merely coloring by numbers of old jazz standards. With three musicians who’ve made the rounds playing in local staples such as Voodoo Town and Pat Casey and the New Sound, it is nice to see them be able to spearhead this project.All the compositions are written by bassist Tom Witek, who introduces himself early on in the CD with a nice little intro. Jason Butler plays the keys, leading most compositions and showing his chops like in the track “Planck Time.” Julian Addison continues to show off his versatility, being able to subtly back up these two fine musicians, but also flexing his muscles, such as in the track “Your Place or Mine.” Like all good trios, this is an album where the musicians help accentuate each other’s strengths.All three players feel as comfortable here as they do in their regular bands, and each track seamlessly bleeds into the next, making it an easy and enjoyable listen. It is an album that a traveler who is just passing through, a local layman, or the biggest music aficionado, can all enjoy, which is how you know it’s an album played by musicians who live and breathe New Orleans.