The saxophone trio seems to be all the rage lately. Not a new phenomenon, the tradition stretches back to the great Sonny Rollins and his seminal The Freedom Suite and extends to the wonderful trio work of Branford Marsalis, along with numerous others. Recently, we’ve profiled the sax/bass/drums lineup of both Joshua Redman and J.D. Allen. This week alone, Jerome Sabbagh‘s trio will play the Katzen Arts Center, and Marcus Strickland will make a stop at Bohemian Caverns with his group.

So why is the trio format so popular nowadays? Certainly economics is part of the equation — a trio is cheaper to keep on the road than the standard quartet. Bandleaders also don’t have to worry about the quality of the piano at the clubs they visit, so it opens up venue options. In a recent interview with DCist, Strickland added some musical reasons why playing without a chordal instrument is appealing to horn players.

“Personally, I think saxophonists are kind of becoming more independent of harmony,” he said. “A lot saxophonists are playing so much harmony that you don’t really need the piano.”

Just past 30, Strickland is already a well-established musician, having spent the better part of a decade in the jazz spotlight. In 2002, he placed third in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. A five-year stint with legendary drummer Roy Haynes led to a Grammy nominated recording (Fountains of Youth), and his work on eclectic trumpeter Dave Douglas‘s Fantasy yielded another Grammy nod. In addition to his impressive work as a sideman, he has also recorded several albums as a leader. Oh, and did we mention that he performs regularly with rapper Mos Def?