Three Visitors Trio Debuts New Album Ahead of JHL Dates

The story of Three Visitors begins with three musicians who often played within larger bands but formed a smaller, more intimate group. Pianist Edward Simon, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade performed together frequently in the 1990s and 2000s, developing a deep mutual understanding—an inevitable chemistry that made their trio feel natural long before it was ever officially named. 

Three Visitors is a collaborative project based on equality, memory, and mindful listening. The album was released on GroundUP Music as a reflection of their enduring friendship and as a sign that the group will bring this music to the Joe Henderson Lab at SFJAZZ for a series of intimate performances.

Simon integrates his own voice into a rich musical legacy. “I’m originally from Venezuela… I grew up playing Latin American music and came to the United States at a young age,” he says. “I studied classical music in school… but all along, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in jazz.” New York provided him with mentors and momentum. “I had the great privilege and opportunity to join the bands of Bobby Watson, Paquito D’Rivera, Herbie Mann, and later Terence Blanchard… I’ve had a very diverse musical upbringing,” he recalls. That diversity is important because the trio is formed from three players who all move easily between straight-ahead jazz, singer-songwriter worlds, Latin and Caribbean rhythm, and chamber-like writing.

Three Visitors is not about a pianist with sidemen, but about three composers creating music for each other. Colley notices this right from the first notes. “Within the first few notes, I knew this was somehow in my DNA,” he says. “I’m connected with these guys because there’s such a long history musically, within so many different projects… I know these folks. There are no words necessary.” Blade describes the same dynamic as mutual sharpening: “I think of iron sharpening iron… we’re always leaning towards each other—leaning in for the conversation to happen.” The record captures that feeling perfectly, because every tune leaves space for the others to respond.

Simon appreciates the title because it reflects both the spiritual and practical aspects of the band. “We like that title because it really brings to the forefront this idea of visitation,” he says. “Whenever we get together to play, it’s as if we’re visiting each other’s stream of consciousness.” The three of them spend much of the year involved in different projects. When they meet, they explore each other’s musical worlds, and the compositions are created to make that visit vivid. “What makes it really special in this group is that appreciation for space and high-level interactivity,” Simon explains. “A very intentional and deep listening is taking place as we’re improvising.”

Because all three contribute pieces, the album moves through various atmospheres without losing its focus. Simon’s “You Are” is the album’s meditative centerpiece. “It’s a meditation on our potential as humans,” he explains. “As we reach different stages of the journey, we realize that the qualities we hope to develop were already within us… some seeds just needed to be watered.” He sets that idea with piano, strings, and a soaring guest solo by tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, then returns to a spoken passage that highlights those hidden qualities. Blade admired the fearlessness of that guest spot, noting that Potter “does not hold back.”

The trio broadens the perspective even further on “I Wanna Be With You,” where vocalist Becca Stevens offers a shimmering, folk-inspired melody over Brazilian-influenced percussion and subtle steel-drum tones that Simon added on keyboards. “What she did with this song, I could not even imagine that it would have been this beautiful,” Simon says. The piece still retains the feel of a Three Visitors performance because Colley’s bass line supports underneath and Blade keeps the surface dynamic. The guests do not weaken the trio. They demonstrate how adaptable its core style is.

Colley’s writing adds another voice to this collaborative book. His pieces often start with musical questions that the trio responds to in real time. This method keeps the improvisation lively and conversational. Simon sees it as one of the ensemble’s trademarks. “The presence of an intense dialogue between the three musicians is one of the strongest features of the trio… it’s really unique and very high-level improvisation,” he says. Blade’s piece “Kintsukuroi,” inspired by the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold, provides the album’s emotional core: music that recognizes fracture but finds beauty in rejoining.

Onstage, the band simplifies the album to its core: three players in a room. The Joe Henderson Lab is ideal for this. Its glass walls overlook San Francisco, but the trio focuses inward. “I want to keep my focus on what’s happening within the room,” Simon says. “Because the space is more intimate, I think we get to feel the audience a little bit more.” The SFJAZZ sets will feature songs from the new album, earlier trio pieces from the Steel House period, and works by all three composers. “Depending on which set you catch, you’ll get to hear different music,” Simon notes. Listeners who loved the richness of the recording will experience its essence in a stripped-down format of piano, bass, and drums, where every cymbal swell and bass counterline is carefully crafted.

What Three Visitors ultimately documents is trust. Three musicians with long histories chose to formalize the rapport they already had, to write for one another, and to let guests, strings, and production serve that rapport rather than overshadow it. Simon’s description of their meetings also serves as an invitation to the audience that will hear them at Joe Henderson Lab: “Whenever we get together to play, it’s as if we’re visiting each other’s stream of consciousness.” That is the door the album opens, and it is the conversation the live shows will continue to explore. 

Tickets & Album

Event: Three Visitors: Edward Simon, Scott Colley & Brian Blade

Venue: Joe Henderson Lab, SFJAZZ Center, San Francisco

Dates/Times: Friday, November 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, November 22, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Tickets: https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/25-26/edward-simon-three-visitors/

Album: https://store.groundupmusic.net/products/three-visitors-cd

Bandcamp: https://threevisitors.bandcamp.com/album/three-visitors