by Scott YanowThe key to this unusual trio is not the muscular tenor of Joe Lovano or the propulsive timekeeping of the drummer/leader but the remarkable guitarist Bill Frisell. Able to somehow produce sounds from this guitar that could be mistaken for a keyboard or a steel guitar, in styles ranging from heavy metal and avant-garde jazz to country music, Frisell is the reason that the trio can sound like a full band despite not having a keyboardist or a bassist. The music, which includes seven Motian originals along with"Monk's Mood" and"If You Could See Me Now," features both intense three-way free improvisations and introspective spacey ballads. Few of the tunes themselves will stick in one's mind (although"Morpion" could be an imaginary meeting betwee 1966 John Coltrane and Jimi Hendrix) but it is the basic sound of the unique group that makes the CD of great interest.