Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams – Third Plane (1977/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Ron Carter served as sideman on so many Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams sessions, and now he brings his stalwart colleagues out on his own date. The results are everything you would expect from this stellar trio. Hancock and Williams were coming off a period in their careers during which they had focused on building a crossover audience with fusion music. But here they are back in a mainstream attitude, and you can sense the sheer fun of their music-making. A great track, and the whole Third Plane album stands out as one of the best trio recordings from a decade marked by outstanding threesomes.

„This reunion of Miles Davis’ mid-’60s rhythm section (bassist Ron Carter, pianist Herbie Hancock, and drummer Tony Williams) has its moments but is not particularly memorable. Performing three of Carter’s songs, one apiece from Hancock and Williams, and the standard “Stella by Starlight,” the solos are fine, but on the whole, little special occurs; the magic is missing.“ –Scott Yanow

Tracklist:

01. Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams – Third Plane (05:53)
02. Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams – Quiet Times (07:54)
03. Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams – Lawra (06:07)
04. Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams – Stella By Starlight (08:25)
05. Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams – United Blues (03:01)
06. Ron Carter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams – Dolphin Dance (08:17)