What makes a wordless music ‘honest?’ How do we know it so clearly when we hear it? Dave Liebman, John Hébert, Ben Monder: these men have a sound that is theirs and theirs alone. Dave has recorded on more than 500 albums. And still, every time, in the studio, the dissolution of the ego. The doubt, the questions, the wait for inspiration. The moments when it feels exactly right. “This is me.”

Trust and Honesty is a historic, all-ballads release from Liebman, a personal and raw exposition of the NEA Jazz Master's legendary sound and concept. Liebman is a perpetual searcher, never complacent in his quest for capturing the moment; here he works in lock step with Monder on guitar and Hébert on bass: two of the most sought after and creative musicians on the scene. In this unprotected, drumless context, true mastery is apparent.

Good musicians keep chipping away at the veneer that keeps them separated from us. Showing the world who they are. And when they were. This music freezes a moment. It could only have been created on February 12, 2022. You couldn’t reconstruct it with a thousand days in the studio. It’s an exercise in exposure, even for someone who has had as vaulted a career as Dave Liebman. When you are doing it right, there’s nowhere to hide. “Here we are today, I am bringing everything I can to this moment. This is me.”