For pianist Steve Ash, the trio is the ultimate format for creative expression: “That’s the ideal setting. I’m happy to play in larger groups and comp, which I do as well. But to me, the most fun is definitely piano trio.” Handily displaying that penchant for small group interaction in this stellar set, Ash partners with bassist Harvie S and drummer Alvester Garnett, two valued musical associates who bring a wealth of experience to the table. “Those gentlemen are such pros. They always know the right thing to play at the right time. And they’re more than just accompanists. They’re tremendous soloists, great with interplay and listening and playing off what I’m doing.” Together, all three artists make for a formidable unit capable of capturing the ear with their serious skill(s) and imaginative faculties.

Opening on “You And The Night And The Music”—the Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz classic that gifted the album its title—collective class and individual flair both come into play. “That song has always appealed to me,” notes Ash. "I love the harmony, I love the way the chords move, it has a great melody and it’s a wonderful vehicle to solo on. There’s a Bill Evans version with a quintet on Interplay (Riverside, 1963) that I listen to all the time, and it’s always inspired me.” Venturing into Duke Ellington’s domain for the follow-up, Ash and company craft a winning take on “I’m Just A Lucky So-And-So.” A bluesy and soulful standout, it presents an attractively ornamented melody and a clever interpolation of McCoy Tyner’s “Blues On The Corner” in the leader’s solo.

Ash’s fondness for Tyner’s work carries over as he covers the late pianist’s “Effendi” and the Don Meyer/Elise Bretton/Sherman Edwards chestnut “For Heaven’s Sake.” “I’m a huge McCoy fan. And to me, Inception (Impulse!, 1962) is one of the best trio records ever. Every song on there is a masterpiece and ‘Effendi’ is one of my favorites,” he enthuses. “It basically has two chords…and I love the relationship between them. This is very minimalist, harmonically, and it gives me a chance to play a little differently and stretch out on one chord for a while.” As for the balladic, Claude Thornhill-associated “For Heaven’s Sake”—a gorgeous number set in motion by Ash’s rhapsodic-turned-reflective greetings—Tyner’s version from Nights Of Ballads & Blues (Impulse!, 1963) offers a wellspring of inspiration.

Kicking off the second half of the album with a tight arrangement of Charlie Parker’s “Cheryl” featuring introductory call-and-response, a hip bass showcase, riffing met with percussive answers and a tag out, the trio absolutely satisfies with its bop bona fides. A Latin twofer follows—Bud Powell’s “Una Noche Con Francis,” which raises the tempo and shifts to swing for soloing, and Cole Porter’s “Dream Dancing,” maintaining straight-eighth time throughout—and the program reaches its conclusion with Wayne Shorter’s waltzing “United.” A joyous sendoff in every respect, that underappreciated Jazz Messengers gem affirms the leader’s assertion that “there are so many great Wayne Shorter compositions that aren’t played often enough.”

Recorded in Ash’s living room, with Harvie S expertly engineering the session, You And The Night eschews studio standards. Yet the music offers a crispness and clarity to rival those productions. “I was playing on a Steinway A. There was no separation, no isolation booth, no fixing anything like people do in the studio. Those things, of course, help with levels and trying to make everything perfect. But there’s something about the sound of a live group—three musicians in the same room, in this case—that you don’t get when people are separated and everyone’s wearing headphones. So I was really happy to do it like this and I was really impressed with the sound that Harvie captured.”

Dan Bilawsky, November 2023