Personnel:
Pablo Martín, Héctor Floría (ts), Héctor Tejedo (b), Kike Pérez (d)
Reference: FSNT-729
Bar code: 8427328437295
When I started the trio project, I remember listening non stop “The Standard Joe” (Joe Henderson), “Way Out West” (Sonny Rollins), “Sun Sol” (Seamus Blake) and “Twio” (Walter Smith III). I was hypnotized by the format, the creative freedom, the space, the interplay, the energy,and the way they played standards. That reference always stayed with me, and it’s what we wanted to define us as a group: creative dialogue, the joy of playing together, and the energy of live performance. In our first concerts, almost eight years ago, we mainly worked with standards, we loved choosing them, shaping a root concept, and then letting our selves goin the moment.
Our first album, “State of the Trio: Live at Nova Jazz Cava” (2020), was an initial exploration of the trio format through original compositions, and “Forward” (2023) proposed a sound and stylistic evolution, with more arranged music and a more contemporary sound.
At the end of the “Forward” tour in Andalusia, in August 2024, I told Kike and Héctor: “Guys, our next album will be called “The Standard Us” and it Will be all standards.” Since then, this record has been on my mind. With “The Standard Us” (a title paying tribute to “The Standard Joe”) we wanted to return to our roots and to the spirit of our early concerts.
Recorded at UnderPool Studios, the album offers a reinterpretation of seven standards that play with sound, form, melody, and the roles of the band, along with two original compositions, “Something Tradi” and “It’s All About That.” Inspired by historic tenor sax duos such as Lockjaw and Griffin, we also invited Héctor Floría to join us on two tracks.
Over the years, the trio has also become a space of friendship and trust. That sense of complicity is part of our sound, and I believe it is more present on this álbum that never before. I am truly happy with the result, and seeing it released by Fresh Sound New Talent is honestly a dream come true. I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for supporting music, jazz, and the physical record. See you at a concert!
—Pablo Martín
