The Colin Stranahan Trio Performs at Smalls The acoustic piano trio continues to be a stable currency in jazz, holding firm against so many other fluctuations. There's always some attention-grabbing innovation in the field, but it's also worth noting when a new trio simply seems to arrive at its own style, having sifted through a preponderance of options. The Colin Stranahan Trio is quietly becoming one of these, as it indicated on Thursday, in the second of two nights at Smalls. The Colin Stranahan Trio, performing at Smalls in the West Village, is an ensemble honing its signature sound. Above, the pianist Glenn Zaleski. Along with Colin Stranahan, a drummer originally from Denver, it consists of the pianist Glenn Zaleski, from Boylston, Mass., and the bassist Rick Rosato, from Montreal - all impeccably trained players in their 20s, now headquartered in Brooklyn. Under the equitable but slightly unwieldy moniker Stranahan Zaleski Rosato, they have released two albums on the Capri label: "Anticipation," in 2011, and "Limitless," last month. From the start of the band's first set, which packed the club, there was a sense of unconflicted affinity with recent piano trio protocols, especially as defined by Brad Mehldau. "Waltz for M.D.," composed by Mr. Rosato and set at a cool saunter, could almost have come from a time capsule buried in the Smalls storage room since 1996. Gradually, the frame expanded. A version of Charlie Parker's "Cheryl," with a cameo by the crisp young alto saxophonist Alex LoRe, was effective boilerplate. But "In the Sky," a rocklike ballad, introduced an intriguing tension between Mr. Zaleski's airy fluency and Mr. Stranahan's bulky onrush. It was a new song, making its debut during this run. Mr. Stranahan is an observant ensemble player, working behind his left-handed drum kit with the unassuming composure of a craftsman. The pull of his swing rhythm on the ride cymbal could be a little stronger, but there's no doubting his acuity of perception or the maturity of his taste. During the only real drum solo in the set - on "Forecast," a modal slip of a tune by Mr. Zaleski - he used all four limbs to produce an overlay of grooves, creating the impression of gears turning at different speeds. Elsewhere, the set resembled a showcase for Mr. Zaleski, whose subtle clarities of touch and logic attest to Fred Hersch's influence. On "Mood Indigo," the luminous theme by Barney Bigard and Duke Ellington, his playing was the ideal of elegant restraint. And on "Limitless," another of his own tunes, Mr. Zaleski kept up a busy ostinato with his left hand - shifting among various complex arrangements of triplet meter - while his right hand dashed off a series of articulate phrases. He managed, at every turn, to stay locked in to both Mr. Rosato's bedrock lines and Mr. Stranahan's wily cross-rhythms. It all added up to a distinctive group sound.