JAZZ / ALBUM REVIEWS

1/2 GERI ALLEN/CHARLIE HADEN/PAUL MOTIAN “In the Year of the Dragon” JMT/Polygram

It’s getting hard to avoid releases featuring Allen these days (that’s no complaint), and this third collaboration with Haden and Motian is a fine starting point for those who’ve missed the rising young pianist before. Allen breaks out some upper-register flurries for Bud Powell’s “Oblivion,” but her forte is a somber, dark tone and spare attack that meshes well with Haden’s bedrock simplicity and leaves plenty of room for a savvy drummer like Motian. Ornette Coleman’s “Invisible” and Haden’s buoyant “See You at Per Tutti’s” are particularly strong performances, but the range of material and tight interplay should even satisfy those who aren’t particularly fond of the piano-trio format.