Audiopile Review: Not surprising to find Nate Mercereau & Carlos Niño meetup with International Anthem mainstay Josh Johnson, though it is a bit of shock to see Blue Note stick their nose in such affairs. Yet, that’s been the net positive effect of Andre 3000’s New Blue Sun, which continues to reverberate throughout the jazz underground. That album, which had both Mercereau and Niño as its key architects, single-handedly brought the long-brewing LA ambient and experimental jazz scene right into the mainstream, Mr. “Hey Ya!” himself kicking the doors wide open with his surprise 3xLP set. You might think that the well-established, prestige jazz label, now known for playing it relatively safe within contemporary jazz, might have brought forth the most palatable version of this new age psychedelic jazz stew, yet the trio push even further at the edges, with little concern for the wider audience that Blue Note might bring. As with most things Niño, water is a big theme throughout, Mercereau bringing the aquatic vibrations with his liquid blue synth spirals and languid guitar tones, slipstreaming beneath Johnson’s billowing geometric sax and Niño’s burbling percussion. It’s an ever-evolving improvisational set, the trio dissolving into each other in a shimmering display of their now signature fourth world ambi-jazz. Kudos to Blue Note for advancing the cause of the LA scene.

***

Openness Trio is the debut album by a unique collective comprised of guitarist and producer Nate Mercereau,  saxophonist Josh Johnson, and percussionist Carlos Ni o. Free-thinking creators who bring a depth of experience  from wide-ranging collaborations with the likes of Andre 3000, Meshell Ndegeocello, Kamasi Washington, Shabaka,  Jeff Parker, Makaya McCraven, and many more, the trio presents a profound musical offering born of deep  communication, immersive emoting, exploration, discovery, and trust. The album is five recordings from five different sessions all around Los Angeles and Ventura county – outdoors in the hills of Ojai with a view of the Topatopa Mountains, an intimate living room setting in Elysian Park, in an Oak Tree Cathedral at the Churchill Orchard in Ojai, a Garden of Electronics in the courtyard of an Echo Park home, and a recording session under a pepper tree at Elsewhere in Topanga Canyon. Available on 180g black vinyl.