I don’t think there are more nice words to add to the already said about Relative Pitch. The label, under Kevin Reilly, for some time now, has been a constant mainstay of great recordings and fresh ideas. It covers not just the, still marginalized though, free improvisation grounds, but many sides of what we just call adventurous music. Relative Pitch has become, this being the greatest achievement probably, a certainty. You know that if a recording comes out under this name, it will be good. Exhaust is one of those and much more than “good”.
Being a fan of small labels around Europe that bridge the gaps between modern free jazz and improvisation, I’ve stumbled upon, with great joy, various recordings of drummer and percussionist Andrew Lisle. His work on the drum set manages to stay on a permanent red level of energy, while not resolving, most of the times, to classic free jazz blow outs. Argentinian saxophonist Camila Nebbia has been one to watch for the past years. Slowly but steadily she puts out music (and contributes with many other great players) that is both joyful and energetic. Her playing is standing on the verge of the free jazz tradition, taking this as a point of departure. I haven’t been in touch (this is how it goes: the sounds touch me as a listener, a situation much preferable than just “listening”…) with the music of Kit Downes. Maybe, even, I had mistaken him as someone who plays more conventionally. As Exhaust proves, I have been wrong.
Exhaust is a recording clocking in around forty minutes of tight playing collective playing. Their music is performed on the spot by interactions and active listening. Nebbia’s tenor saxophone might seem, sometimes at least, to lead the way, but on a second level (and attentive listening) you, the listener, will hear the piano sharing aggressive notes and passages and the drums being the basis –but not a rhythmic one. Each of the six tracks progresses in an almost linear way, giving you the feeling that they follow each other as they race, providing more energy as time goes by.
The trio produces wonderful, raw, joyful music that leave you with smile, after you listen. Those are the fruits when each musician listens before playing. The common denominator is the energy and pathos that music has to offer to all of us.
Listen:
@koultouranafigo
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