First posted on Mark Is Cranky:

Back in the mid-1980's, the arrival on the jazz scene of a trumpeter named Wynton Marsalis marked the start of the so-called "young lions" period. Marsalis, along with the like-minded Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove and several others, put a (slightly) fresh spin on jazz from the Miles Davis classic quartet years.

Some thought the music too reverent of its roots, lending it a kind of "Museum of Classic Jazz" sound. Like a lot of easy generalization though, bit of truth were dropped on the floor. There were many, many moments (and suites!) of inspired play. Take, for example, Marsalis' Black Codes (From The Underground). The chemistry between Wynton's horn and Jeff Watts thunderous kit play is stunning. The rest of that quintet, the late Kenny Kirkland on piano, Charnett Moffet (bass) and brother Branford on sax, lets' face it: they burned. Though the music wasn't exactly revolutionary (Miles did start that revolution) it did serve one other extremely important function: it sparked a renewed interest in jazz in both the mind of the general public and more than a few record labels.

While Wasilewski,Kurkiewicz and Miskiewicz' Trio might not be the start of a "new young lions" movement, there are just enough parallels to make even a casual jazz fan take notice.

If you aren't familiar with their story, here's the short version: Polish trumpet legend Tomasz Stanko's rhythm section cancels on a gig. Michal Miskiewicz was asked to fill in, and to suggest a band as well. Enter Marcin Wasilewski (piano) and Slawomir Kurkiewicz (double-bass). It was an important turning point in the careers of both Stanko and the trio in that Stanko had discoved his ultimate support group while that very same support group was given a chance to shine on their own.

And shine they did, touring their native Poland as the Simple Acoustic Trio. Now the world gets to see what they can do on Trio.