The stimulating NODO is a collaborative effort among three fast-rising improvisers on Montevideo’s burgeoning creative music scene. Guitarist Santiago Bogacz, clarinetist Emiliano Aires, and percussionist Mauricio Ramos, on their eponymous release, balance bold experimentation with subtlety. They also structure the album in a unique style.
Each artist starts by exploring the same theme in radically different ways. Aires, on his “NODO Es Clarinete,” mixes wistful tones with subtle whimsy, creating an absorbing, spontaneous melody that hints at pastoral elements even as it embraces a delightful dissonance. On “NODO Es Guitarra Eléctrica”, Bogacz alternates pensive passages with otherworldly phrases, creating a dramatic mood. Bogacz’s resonant strums and reverberating strings form a haunting song that seamlessly bleeds into Ramos’ solo. “NODO Es Percusion” features Ramos on a drum kit and other percussion instruments. His polyrhythmic flourishes and his crystalline thuds and thrums conjure up a provocative ambience much in the same vein as Bogacz and Aires do on the previous tracks.
Three duets follow that flesh out some of the motifs that were expressed earlier. For instance, “NODO Es Sintetizadores y Clarinet” pairs Aires with Bogacz’s synthesizers. Into a lush yet ominous soundscape, Aires weaves angsty lines that echo the electronics and maintain a shimmering path within them. The result is quite cinematic and sets the stage for the grand finale.
Despite the individuality of each musician, the session maintains its conceptual cohesion in great part thanks to the inner synergy within the group. This is most apparent on the fully realized “NODO Es Un Trio”.
Clear bells and blistering guitar mix with fiery clarinet drones for an energetic three-way conversation. The collective improvisation is simultaneously explosive and lyrical. Ramos’ percolating beats drive the piece with a march-like cadence. Bogacz, meanwhile, alternates between dense synth chords and textured guitar vamps. Aires chants and performs on his clarinet with equal abandon. A primal spirituality permeates both this tune and the entire record.
NODO, is a masterful work that rewards multiple “spins” and allows a glimpse of a musical scene that remains unknown to most listeners outside of Uruguay. It also whets the appetite of what is to come from these adventurous artists, both individually and as a group.
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