But, in a band like Ellery's, there's an incredible range of zones in which you can make up your own kind of groove thing. As soon as you have written music, it becomes clear which filters you can open. The gates on Black's filters are not hinged upon the presence or the absence of a bass player. Black makes only minor adjustments if a bass player is on the gig or not. But Black asserts that the absence of a bass player confers no greater freedoms or responsibilities on a drummer than it does on a horn player, a guitarist or a keyboardist.
Every motion made by every player at any time in the piece is crucial.
It's what makes a band swing and gives the music a groove. Black pointed to Tiny Bell Trio as an example of how musicians meeting the responsibilities of the composition not only results in ensemble cohesion but a rarer form of ensemble identity. When you then tag-team somebody, or when two gang up against one, accompany one, or obliterate one, there's a connection to the written material that everybody can follow. That's why people applaud when you return to the written material. They recognize the connections.