Jerry Espinoza's Sunnyside Trio

The classic jazz quintet – sax, trumpet, piano, bass, drums – remains cemented in the mind of the wider world, and for good reason. But there’s nothing like a good chordless jazz trio. As pioneered by the peerless Sonny Rollins, the setup of a lone instrument incapable of chords over a traditional rhythm section features its arbiters working without a net, the lead player solely responsible for melodic development and unconstrained by harmonic structure. Veteran CenTex saxophonist Jerry Espinoza, joined by bassist Liam Odell and drummer Joshua Berry, builds on the foundation Rollins planted, folding modern noise into the sound of freedom. – Michael Toland