Formed 1978

The Super Jazz Trio was Tommy Flanagan's working trio for Baystate Records, the Tokyo-based label that organised two sessions in New York and one in Japan between 1978 and 1980. The name was a label creation, following the same convention East Wind Records had used when naming Hank Jones's Village Vanguard trio the Great Jazz Trio two years earlier. The core group, Flanagan on piano, Reggie Workman on bass and Joe Chambers on drums, recorded the self-titled debut at Sound Ideas Studios in New York on November 21, 1978, produced by Yoshio Ozawa. Workman brought the weight of his years with John Coltrane, appearing on "Africa/Brass" and "Ole Coltrane"; Chambers brought his long association with Andrew Hill's Blue Note sessions. An earlier session on July 6, 1978 added Japanese saxophonist Hidefumi Toki to the lineup. A Tokyo session on May 25, 1979, recorded at Media Studio, paired the trio with flugelhorn player Art Farmer and produced "Something Tasty." The final session, at The Power Station in New York on February 14, 1980, produced "The Standard." Flanagan was simultaneously recording for Enja in Europe and building the reputation that would consolidate through his 1980s work for Timeless and Alfa. The Super Jazz Trio was a Japanese label project with a short, productive life rather than a touring ensemble.