Pianist Lynne Arriale is a master of making her audience feel something when she plays. For more than 30 years, Arriale has explored the emotional possibilities of the piano trio.

“Emotion through sound, that’s a very, very deep subject,” she said.

Along with a busy career as an educator, Arriale has released 17 albums as bandleader. Almost all of them feature the classic line-up of piano, bass, and drums.

This was Arriale’s third KNKX studio session, and her trio played three songs from her 2024 album Being Human, exploring the emotional states that we all share.

She dedicated the lovely, urgent tune “Passion” to young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Her song “Love” is a tender ballad with hints of melancholy. “Joy” concluded the performance with a thrilling Caribbean beat that had the studio audience smiling and moving in their seats.

Arriale had arrived early to the KNKX studios to rehearse with bassist Ethan Philion and drummer Tanner Guss. She’d worked with both musicians, but they hadn’t played with each other until this studio session performance.

Both young rhythm section players fit Arriale’s music nicely while also making impressive solo statements. Philion and Guss seemed to enjoy their first musical interaction with playing beautifully both melodically and rhythmically.

For her part, Arriale found this new trio exciting, calling the experience “kind of magical when you think about it. The shape of the music can change with different energies interpreting it.”

Enjoy this energetic and emotional adventure with the Lynne Arriale trio in the KNKX studios.

Musicians:

• Lynne Arriale - piano
• Ethan Philion - bass
• Tanner Guss - drums

Songs:

1. Passion
2. Love
3. Joy