Last week the jazz trio of Ray Brown, Benny Green and Russell Malone made its way into town for a night's performance at the Regatta Bar in the Charles Hotel. While Green is informally the leader of the group, it is bassist Brown who has worked with the big names, playing in Oscar Peterson's juggernaut trios, Dizzy Gillespie's bebop band and collaborating with Duke Ellington. Rounding out the trio was guitarist Russell Malone, one of the best of young jazz guitarists today.

Green, a member of Brown's trio for about five years in the '90s, has gained an admirable reputation himself. His fast octave runs on the piano were demonstrated capably throughout the set, even though he had to warm up slowly from his initial contained exuberance. On Malone part's, he managed to maintain his signature bluesy sound, while recalling the Django Reinhardt recordings of the past.

They started out slow, with a playful version of "Sing." Brown's bass didn't seem to swing as hard as it usually does, sounding sparse and lacking depth. However, they found their groove quickly, and the next few tunes found Malone expertly demonstrating the breadth of his capabilities. He switched smoothly from fiery solos to contemplative, fragile pieces. Malone held the room silently captivated as he provided a distinctive bassline while flirting with chord melody standards.

Green seemed to catch on, answering lyrically with light and effortless swinging solos on the keys. Brown also dug in, and came up with his signature deep, growling bass. The trio breezed through standards like "Black Orpheus," "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Blues For Junior" while throwing in sly references to other obscure tunes.

The crowd was extremely appreciative and from then, the band just got livelier. Malone continued thrilling the crowd with his flexible runs and providing an interesting contrast to Green's slightly stiff playing. Yet, the overall performance of the trio was satisfyingly intimate, having had the trio up close and personal with the audience.

When asked about what he thought about the show, Green said, "It's great just playing with my best friends, and having the audience sitting in and listening so closely." In this age of mega pop-stars and ultra-celebrities, that vulnerable relationship between artist and audience is often worn threadbare. Still, it's great that there are chances for the jazz fan to do just that-sit in and listen closely.

RAY BROWN, BENNY GREEN, AND RUSSELL MALONE