Third Story is a collaborative group comprised of San Diego-based pianist Joshua White, double bass phenomenon Danny Weller, guitarist Jeff Miles, and LA drummer Jens Kuross. Weller and Miles live in Brooklyn, N.Y. now, but both are from San Diego.
San Diegans will remember Weller from his playing alongside trumpeter Gilbert Catellanos, pianist Mikan Zlatkovich, and the free-jazz co-op Kronomorfic. Miles graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2008, and that very same year won First Prize in the Montreux Gibson Guitar Competition in Switzerland.
Their eponymously titled CD, released in early 2012, was produced by Weller and recorded at the home studio of his uber-talented family here in town. The CD features compositions from Weller, White and Miles, and was recorded in two days. “It has very ECM [Editions of Contemporary Music] vibe to it, especially the instrumentation and the compositions,” says Weller.
“I produced the album, but the arrangements and compositions were certainly a result of collaboration between Joshua, Jeff and myself. I also consulted heavily with Jeff on the mixing, mastering, artwork and website.”