Bond: The Paris Sessions, the second release from pianist Gerald Clayton as leader, features bassist Joe Sanders and drummer Justin Brown to round out this talented trio of emerging jazz artists. Recorded at Studio de Meudon in Paris, “Bond” is a wonderful album where Clayton, Brown and Sanders not only breathe new energy into popular standards, but also transform new music into instant jazz classics.

On “If I Were A Bell,” Clayton gives us a fresh interpretation of the song. Although it was written by Frank Loesser for the Broadway show Guys and Dolls, it has been inextricably linked to Miles Davis for he transformed this song into a timeless jazz standard—the version in which Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashād famously danced to in the final episode of The Cosby Show. Clayton’s approach to the signature opening, where there are only eight notes, establishes a different kind of mood to the song. It’s less “bell” like, less upbeat and it adds a more contemplative tone to the piece. Clayton’s take on this piece is reminiscent of the late, great pianist Vince Guaraldi, who was known for his compositions for the Peanuts cartoons. And like the renowned Vince Guaraldi Trio, Clayton’s piano, along with Sanders’ bass and Brown on drums, are at the forefront throughout the piece. Though Clayton has some solo piano improvisations in the song, “If I Were A Bell” highlights the “bond” between these three musicians as they further flesh out the harmonic layers of the melody.

Clayton’s piano nicely opens the piece “Major Hope.” Brown’s drums soon follows along with Sanders on bass. This changes the piece from a potentially soft ballad into a modern, somewhat upbeat jazz song. It really highlights Clayton’s command of the piano for it is the song’s focal point. His style isn’t aggressive or overpowering and yet Clayton captures your attention almost immediately in the overall playfulness of the sound. It’s rather a deep exploration of the melody and not one note is left untouched. It’s Clayton’s experimentation with the melody that perhaps serves as a motif for the “hope” of jazz, and music in general. But “Bond: The Cast” best highlights the prowess of these musicians as Sanders’ melodic bass line plays well off of Clayton’s piano and Brown’s drums. There’s a wonderful call and response between Clayton’s piano, as he attacks the melody line, and the rhythm section of Sanders and Brown.

Bond: The Paris Sessions really captures a strong musical connection between these musicians. It’s obvious that they work well off of another, but these compositions really allow each of their distinctive sounds to standout throughout this album. Clayton shows great promise as not only a band leader but at just 27, he already possesses a unique and rare wisdom as a strong, soulful pianist.

Be sure to catch Gerald Clayton, Justin Brown and Joe Sanders perform live at the Jazz Standard in NYC. For more information about this upcoming show, visit Jazzstandard.net.

Two Heads One Pillow by Ian Lyndon Fong