We 3 Live

Dave Liebman, Steve Swallow, Adam Nussbaum


1. Up Too Late (S. Swallow) 10:47
2. Viscous Consistency Vers. 1 (S. Swallow)
3. What Time Is It (C. Visentin) 8:08
4. Cycling (D. Liebman) 13:14
5. Bend Over Backwards Vers. 1 (S. Swallow) 10:18
6. Get Out Of Town (C. Porter) 8:36
7. Tommy’s Hut (D. Liebman) 7:43
8. Viscous Consistency Vers. 2 (S. Swallow) 8:35
9. Sure Would Baby (A. Nussbaum) 6:32
10. Bend Over Backwards Vers. 2 (S. Swallow) 11:10

David Liebman: Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Wooden Flute
Steve Swallow: Bass
Adam Nussbaum: Drums

Mastered by Florian Van Volxem at CMP Studio, Zerkall, Germany
Produced by Kurt Renker


The relationships in this trio go way back. In fact, next to drummer Bob Moses, my musical relationship with Steve Swallow is the longest of all my compatriots. When I first played with him in the late ‘60s in the Open Sky Trio (with Moses) and later on with drummer Pete LaRoca, Steve was still playing upright bass. Meanwhile, Adam was in my quintet that featured John Scofield in the late ‘70s and has recorded with me on more than a few occasions. As well, Adam has a long history with Steve in various settings, stretching over decades. So it was natural that a few years ago we put this trio together.

Jazz fans and especially musicians know how important Swallow’s compositions are to the jazz legacy. They are almost always quite lyrical, clever and though his tunes may appear to be simple, they invariably feature a “puzzle” to be solved when improvising. As well, Steve has figured out aspects of the electric bass that enable him to be quite “guitarish” adding a richer harmonic and textural color than one might ordinarily expect in a drum-bass-sax setting. Meanwhile, Dome (as he is known), is deeply rooted in the tradition and among the most swinging drummers of the past decades. He also has a rare ability to shape both the soloist’s story line and the overall group presentation in a very dramatic and tasteful fashion.

The music we have made available here comes from live performances and in some cases two takes of a composition are available, something that is usually of interest to listeners and scholars for comparing alternate improvisational approaches to a song. Featuring compositions by all of us as well as Caris Visentin and an arranged standard by Cole Porter, Get Out Of Town, this is straight ahead, swinging jazz with a very positive energy and feeling that is palpable.

Dave Liebman
November 2015, Stroudsburg, PA USA