The Ken Varley Trio

Pianist Ken Varley seems to be a regular fixture of the London, Ontario jazz scene. He has two classy trio albums available from the CHRW London Music Archives which should please jazz aficionados of all ages. Jazz From The Living Room was released in 1999 and is a nice example of the distinct sound of Varley and his trio. Elements of George Shearing and fellow Canadian Oscar Peterson are easily found in his music. The tracks are mainly pop standards from “Autumn Leaves” to a Duke Ellington medley generously dosed with the pianist’s casual jazz style. Varley is competently aided by Bassist Ron Fleming and Drummer Bill Reid. Basically For You was released in 2001 and adds some nice jazz classics to the standard repertoire. This time he is joined by Craig Smith on bass and Rob Larose on drums. Bill Evan’s “Solar” and Charlie Parker’s “Yardbird Suite” are two rather complex tunes that show off Varley’s talents well. As for the pop standards, “On a Slow Boat to China” and “Stars Fell on Alabama”are two excellent tracks. Both albums are good examples of mainstream piano jazz. The two albums are available by separate tracks in 128kbps MP3. Free Jazz Download: Jazz From The Livng Room & Basically For You.