ETERNAL TRIANGLE “Gravity” and “Moving On”

The Eternal Triangle
Gravity
Jazz Now, Jazz in Britain
jazzinbritain1.bandcamp.com
Hertfordshire, 2023

Moving On (Live in Nijmegen)
Sound of Niche
soundofniche.bandcamp.com
Nijmegen, November 26, 2023

Personnel:
Trevor Watts (soprano and alto saxophones), Veryan Weston (keyboards), Jamie Harris (percussion)

For over sixty years, Trevor Watts has stood at the forefront of Anglo-Saxon avant-garde music, performing with an impressive range of ensembles and projects. His latest venture, The Eternal Triangle, is a highly original trio built on equal parts, with an unusual but remarkably effective instrumentation. Alongside Watts’s soprano and alto saxophones, Jamie Harris contributes percussion—primarily bongos and hand-played cymbals—while Veryan Weston commands the electric keyboards.

Originally formed as a duo between Watts and Weston roughly a decade ago, the group has primarily performed in the UK. Yet its singular blend of influences, drawing heavily from African and Latin American traditions, has attracted growing attention across continental Europe. A prime example of this is Gravity, the trio’s first studio recording and the inaugural release in the Jazz Now series from the Jazz in Britain label. Known for its work unearthing rare archival recordings, the label has now ventured into contemporary production with this release.

Gravity is a compelling album where composition and improvisation coexist in a state of dynamic equilibrium, sustaining the listener’s interest throughout. The African inflections and the insistent drive of Harris’s bongos generate an irresistible pulse, while Watts’s soprano—energetic, solemn, and at times hypnotically repetitive—spirals into long, trance-like phrases that imbue the music with a sense of mystery, even at its most intense. There are few moments of true repose: even when the flames are momentarily subdued, the interplay between percussion and keyboards maintains an undercurrent of tension that holds the listener’s attention. Weston occupies every available space with dense, intricate layers, knitting together the trio’s distinctive soundscape.

The second album, Moving On (Live in Nijmegen), released by the Dutch label Sound of Niche, follows a similar path but allows even greater freedom for improvisational exploration. Captured in concert, this recording finds the trio unleashing its full creative force in what becomes an ecstatic, almost ritualistic, improvisational trance.

The Eternal Triangle stands as one of the most vital and engaging groups on today’s scene.

Giancarlo Spezia