Nowadays, when supergroups are a dime a dozen, which results in homogenic sound of most of those, it’s immensely gratifying to see some veteran musicians join forces first on-stage and only then thinking about studio perspectives. This is exactly the case with 3BELOW: a quartet formed by former KING CRIMSON guitarist Trey Gunn and Mexican poet, and also bassist, Alonso Arreola, with Jaco Pastorius associate, bassist Michael Manring, and oudist Emmanuel Pina. The project started more than a decade ago, during Arreola and Gunn’s trip to West Africa with baritone ukuleles in their hands, and makes a recording history with the release of the “Live In Mérida” on November 8th.
It’s a document of a show the quartet played on November 5, 2023 in Mexico, a report of their ten-year concert experience, with the first part of the veterans’ performance being acoustic-based and delivered by Trey and Alonso, and the second portion a blisteringly electric one done by the full quartet. A fantastic offering, to say the least, as the level of artistry here is simply stunning.
Live In Mérida
1. Relamparia
2. Mamadou’s Mercedes
3. Versos
4. Hard Winds
5. Forest Floor
6. Big Fungus
7. Lake of Ice
8. Lake of Fire
9. The World Is Everything That Is The Case
10. Monkey Businessman
11. Culpa
12. Area
