| Come Play With Me |
2001 Knitting Factory Records
*This record is no longer available through Knitting Factory Records. However, a full length CD of Cuong's favorite cuts from both this record and "Pure" is available as part of Cuong's ArtistShare Project. Click on "This, This, and That" to find out more.
Cuong Vu - trumpet
Stomu Takeishi - bass
John Hollenbeck - drums
Recorded by Peter Beckerman at Mr. Small's Funhouse, Pittsburgh, PA - 2001
Mixed and Mastered by Laurent Brondel
Produced by Laurent Brondel and Cuong Vu
Cover art by Virginia Valdes
...Takes the epic sci-fi peaks of Miles Davis circa BIG FUN and anchors them with a straight rocking, stripped down rhythm section...- The Wire
No one is likely to confuse trumpeter Cuong Vu with a neo-con young lion. Although he's young enough, educated enough (the New England Conservatory) and experienced enough (including a touring gig with the Pat Metheny Group), he doesn't seem interested in the rote bebop recreations that characterize other young trumpeters. Working with the likes of Laurie Anderson and David Bowie as well as more jazz-oriented types, he's evolved a distinctive, electronics-influenced style that with this band almost takes on the trappings of a rock power trio. Ken Waxman, jazzweekly.com
On trumpeter Cuong Vu's third CD as a leader, he takes the spaciness and the simmering, rather than the raw, energy of Miles Davis' fusion-era bands—which featured six or more musicians—and translates their spirit into a trio while retaining the music's widescreen effects. Bassist Stomu Takeishi and percussionist John Hollenbeck give the music a broad foundation as Vu processes his melody-rich playing through electronics, and the effect is both soothing and anthemic. Come Play With Me is an album for the patient to get lost in again and again. - Christopher Porter, JazzTimes
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Each track on a Cuong Vu album is a sonic journey. It could be hauntingly melodic ("Dreams, Come Play With Me") or wildly primal ("Faith"). ...it might start melodically, but as the music progresses, all three instruments --- trumpet, bass, and drums --- grow in presence and character. After building to an abstract climax, the piece comes to a melodic resolution. - Ron Netsky, rochester-citynews.com
Redefining the concept of a horn-led trio, trumpeter Cuong Vu uses a minimum of instruments to acheive a bounty of tonal colors on COME PLAY WITH ME. Key to Vu's success in this endeavor is bassist Stomu Takeishi, whose fretless work reveals a kaleidoscope of sounds and feels, from agressive, full-throttle attack to languid, pastel notes that drift slowly and gently across the compositions, to a percussive, rhythmic approach. Takeishi is the only member of the trio capable of playing chords, so he also takes a more harmonic role here than your average bassist.
For his part, Vu offers concise, melodic lines that are both spare and elegant, lacing his rhythmically involving, harmonically concise compositions with short bursts of eloquence and occasional fiery outpourings. This is no out-jazz free-for-all, it's a carefully crafted album of forward-looking modern jazz where construction is equally as important as expression, and both prosper in the capable hands of this unusual trio. - Muze/MTS Inc.
The class-act crew at Knitting Factory Records has turned out yet another fantastic album with the assistance of trumpet master Cuong Vu. Following in the footsteps of the timeless Bitches Brew, Cuong Vu melds the structure of jazz with the expressiveness of modern avante-gardism, and it all comes together into a mesmerizing and skillfully crafted album of jazz excellence. Come Play with Me provides jazz enthusiasts with a background made of fluid drum patterns and dynamic bass tones and a foreground that encompasses Vu's awe-inspiring trumpet playing. It is as simple as that because it provides more than enough for any listener. His sustain and artistic vision comes through with a sense of ease as he travels effortlessly through a self-created world of mystical ecstasy. You never know where Vu's playing will take you next, but it doesn't really matter, because wherever it is, you know that you are in good hands. Cuong Vu's Come Play with Me presents us with jazz music that is deeper than most of what is coming out these days, and would therefore be a welcomed addition to any jazz fanatic's album collection. Many top jazz journalists have placed Come Play with Me as one of the best albums of the year. I must say that I do concur. - youbored.com
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