Silbergleit’s ‘the stillness of july’ is great year-round!

When Paul Silbergleit was last chronicled on these pages, it was said that his name may be difficult to pronounce, but his music is easy to listen to.

Last time, there was no primer or pronunciation guide to help. That oversight has been corrected. It’s Paul, as in Paul, Silber as in Wilbur and gleit as in flight.

Well, the proof in that pudding is the Paul Silbergleit Trio’s latest drop, ’the stillness of july.’

When people think of jazz, most conjure up a smoke-filled night club in the 1950s that’s in the basement of some non-descript store front in Manhattan.

It’s 2 a.m. and the final group of the ‘evening’ is about to take the stage. It’s a trio, with either a piano, horn or guitar on lead flanked by an upright bassist and a drummer, jammed in the back behind his kit, barely visible.

Glasses are clinking and there’s a soft murmur in the crowd until the downbeat.

This album is just that. A basic, stripped down, unvarnished trio consisting of Paul Silbergleit on guitar, Clay Schaub on bass fiddle and Devin Drobka on the skins.

The term ‘eclectic’ is somewhat overused and loses some of its original punch (guilty as charged). But with no equivocation or fear of contradiction, this nonet of jazzy notes is E-C-L-E-C-T-IC!

In addition to Paul’s three originals, the trio dips into the entire catalog of music to flesh out the opus.

First off, there are three familiar tunes from the Great White Way, Broadway, done in such a way as to give each note room to stand on its own.

‘Getting to Know You’ (The King & I) is the bouncy lilt that you’ll immediately recognize but appreciate in a whole new way.

There’s also ‘Ribbons Down My Back’ from Jerry Herman’s smash hit (Hello, Dolly) which has had multiple iterations.

Finally, Steven Schwartz chips in with ‘With You’ (Pippin) which launched the career of Ben Vereen. It’s as understated as it is soft and beautiful.

Switch gears and listen as Silbergleit gives us The Bird, um, Charlie Parker that is, when a nod goes to the Bebop genre with his ‘Bongo Beep.’

While they’re at it, the trio tosses in ‘Summer Soft’ by Steveland Hardaway Judkins…oh wait, that’s Stevie Wonder.

And then, the Latin beat pulsates through a 9:35 version of ‘Poinciana’ which has both Spanish and English lyrics, but neither is required with the clarity of Paul’s picking.

The three orig tunes have a distinctive water or meteorological bent. Starting with ‘How Shallow the Duck Pond.’ Les Paul had ‘How High the

Moon’ so this Paul says why not? It gently skips over the notes and Clay lays down a sweet line for Paul to follow.

‘Riversong,’ as you would imagine, ‘flows’ very nicely and is faster paced than the others.

Drobka’s work on the cymbals is more of a second lead than a background beat on this piece. It’s not your grandfather’s solo, that’s for sure.

July ends and Paul, along with the rest of the world, get ready for the inevitable change of seasons with ‘Enter the Fall.’ This final cut skews a little on the quicker tip and ends on cueas if to say “summer’s over.”

The album is available wherever you access music and it is a “must listen” for jazz fans, especially ones who want to flex their genre muscle.