Lossing, Russ
Moon Inhabitants
Pianist/composer Russ Lossing has exercised a balance between structure and freedom in his music for decades. His trio with bassist Masa Kamaguchi and drummer Billy Mintz has found that balance after 25 years of performing together. Their latest release, Moon Inhabitants, is a fantastic example of their ease in expression in less than one hundred percent gravity. Lossings trio has had a long career documenting their explorations with what Lossing calls "almost strict time," an elastic feeling of playing around the beat. Their model is the unique trio of Paul Bley, Gary Peacock, and Paul Motian, an incredible assembly of musicians who balanced form and freedom. Like the Bley Trio, Lossings group features musicians who are equally adept at playing traditional jazz forms along with free improvisation.