Introducing Misinterprotato; a Brisbane based Australian piano trio that performs original contemporary improvised music. Formed in 1999 whilst the members of the trio were studying at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Misinterprotato features pianist/keyboardist Sean Foran, electric bassist James O'Brien and drummer/percussionist John Parker.

While priding themselves on their unusual take on the piano trio format, Misinterprotato's emotive sound is still highly accessible to general listeners as well as dedicated jazz fans. Misinterprotato originally concentrated on developing unusual arrangements of jazz standards, but the group soon shifted focus to the contemplative yet driving compositions of pianist Sean Foran. Misinterprotato's sound was then gradually honed through extensive gigging in the fertile Brisbane jazz scene. The band has become regulars at The Zoo's Jazz on a Sunday Vibe nights as well as venues such as Ric's, The Press Club, Aromas, The Troubadour and the Brisbane Jazz Club, where they drew a record crowd for a contemporary night in 2001.

While having a distinct and strong aesthetic based on the band's appreciation of contemporary European jazz such as Bobo Stenson Trio and Esbjorn Svennson Trio, Misinterprotato also draws heavily on Australian influences. The most notable of these would be renowned group The Necks, whose pianist Chris Abrahams has had an obvious influence on Foran's soloing style. While Foran's compositions frequently explore dense harmony and odd times signatures Misinterprotato also enjoy the freedom of groove and vamp based interaction and 'Minimalist' style free improvisation.

A Misinterprotato performance can range from driving latin feels to modal jazz to ethereal atmospherics but will always maintain the essence of the group - a modern jazz piano trio that strives for originality while embracing mainstream appeal. "The piano trio is a forbidding format: exposed, without a sax or similar putting on a show up front; a long history of groundbreaking and virtuosic forebears rooted in the Bill Evans' style of cerebral, contemplative and radical music-making. Yet here's a young Brisbane trio...tackling the genre with astounding confidence and maturity.

Misinterprotato not only sound at home in their European-influenced modernism, they are genuinely creative and vital. Sean Foran's piano playing has a crystalline beauty, elegant and spacious, supported by a rhythm section...that has a ton of verve and taste. Whether the chilled and sparse melodicism of the ballad, 'Motion', which sets the tone of the album, the Necks-inspired organic groove of 'Domino vs the Powerful Owl', the atmospheric intro to 'Shorter Than Some' and the groove of 'Waiting', the band sounds focused and the music satisfyingly whole, all the more for its economy and poise.

This debut is quite addictive and it's exciting to come across a trio whose concept is so well stated and which promises even more." Shane Nichols, Australian Financial Review, November 2003.

Album Tracks

1. Motion
2. Waiting
3. Gnip Gnop
4. Shorter Than Some
5. Domino Vs The Powerful Owl
6. Not Knowing What To Do Next
7. Duckdive
8. Places