***1/2 Pandelis Karayorgis Trio

HEART AND SACK

((Leo)

Pianist Karayorgis, bassist Nate McBride, and drummer Randy Peterson negotiate 10 free-time meditations in slow-to-medium tempos, and the results are just about perfect. Combine the tensile strength of Lennie Tristano's single-note lines with the free rhythmic interplay of the old Paul Bley trios and there you have it. "Free" doesn't mean "no groove," and 4/4 is never entirely out of the picture. The trio's idea of syncopation extends to "weak"-beat accents, implied-beat accents, the broad sustain of McBride's bass (he mixes abstract patterns with deep, deep walking), and Peterson's ability to swing on an open hi-hat splash or the mix of kick-drum thumps with a deceptively casual roll off his snare. It's a conversational pulse that throbs behind the beat, deathlessly hip. The economical tunes average five minutes, including pieces by Eric Dolphy ("Miss Ann"), Ken McIntyre ("Lautir"), and Ellington ("Frustration"), as well as a strong handful of originals by Karayorgis and one by McBride.

-- Jon Garelick