Saturday @ Berliner Festspiele (Sarah)
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| Amaryllis Sextet © Berliner Festspiele Photo Camille Blake |
Mary Halvorson – guitar
Adam O’Farrill – trumpet
Jacob Garchik –
trombone
Patricia Brennan – vibraphone
Nick Dunston – double bass,
electric bass
Tomas Fujiwara – drums
Mary Halvorson’s Amaryllis Sextet continue to deliver. This latest repertoire on tour is some of Mary’s freshest work to date, and presented in the acoustic wunderland of the Berliner Festspiele, the sextet has never sounded so good. Mary’s virtuosic finger-work and precision effects, while at the forefront of the music, never come across as overly dominant. She effortlessly juggles the balance between subtle digital pitch bends and more traditional licks. This bendy approach is subtly mirrored with the virtuosoty of Patricia Brennan, who also employs her signature manual pitch-bending to the vibraphone. She does this along with a host of other bizarre tone manipulation methods including using her mouth on the bars - it’s hard to tell from a distance what she’s doing exactly, but it sounds great. A hypnotic, aggressive bass solo from Nick Dunston elicits whoops and cheers from a captivated crowd. The duo of Adam and Jacob bring just the right amount of spice over in the brass section and Tomas’s attentive drumming seals the deal. The synergy and friendship between bandmates is apparent and there’s no weak links. Yet another A+ performance from this immensely talented, always enjoyable bunch.
London Jazz Composers Orchestra, Marilyn Crispell & Angelica Sanchez: “Double Trouble III” by Barry Guy
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| Barry Guy © Berliner Festspiele Photo Camille Blake |
Barry Guy – double bass, direction
Marilyn Crispell – piano
Angelica
Sanchez – piano
Torben Snekkestad – tenor and soprano saxophone
Michael
Niesemann – alto saxophone
Julius Gabriel – baritone saxophone
Simon
Picard – tenor saxophone
Mette Rasmussen – alto saxophone
Henry
Lowther – trumpet
Percy Pursglove – trumpet
Charlotte Keeffe –
trumpet
Andreas Tschopp – trombone
Shannon Barnett – trombone
Marleen
Dahms – trombone
Marc Unternährer – tuba
Philipp Wachsmann –
violin
Christian Weber – double bass
Lucas Niggli – percussion
Out in the lobby after the performance, I spoke with Australian Trombone
player Shannon Barnett, who remarked that she had never seen a score that
was so clear and easy to read. “I knew where all the cues were immediately.
It was such a joy to play.” She added that despite this, for two days
straight the ensemble had "rehearsed the shit out of that piece.” Fellow
trombonist Marleen Dahms felt that due to the rehearsal space being smaller,
the improvisers could read each other’s cues better, and claimed that the
rehearsal was actually better than the performance. From where I was
sitting, there was no indication that any performer was having difficulty
during the show, and I cannot fathom a world in which there could've been a
better performance than what I had just witnessed.
Two enormous grand pianos were positioned at the front of the stage, i.e.
"Double Trouble." These are for Angelica Sanchez and Marilyn Crispell, who
had just been presented with the coveted 2025 Instant Award for
Improvisational Music. Conductor Barry Guy was also out in front with his
back to the audience, along with his double bass. It was thrilling to watch
him gesturing and conducting with his full body, while also playing the
giant instrument - something so rare, I wonder if I will ever see that again
in my lifetime.
This was the third public performance of "Double Trouble." A long piece with
many parts. Barry commanded the seventeen players who were so syncronised,
it really felt like he controlled them with his hands. Everyone seemed to be
perfectly tuned in, perhaps this was due to the crystal clarity of the
score, as Sharron had said. He was confident with an obvious vision of how
each passage should be executed. Loads of shifts in dynamics, and
subgroupings and solos. A lot of space for improvisation which was very
exciting for a group of this size. There were times when the huge room felt
like it could have been mistaken for a tiny New York City basement venue,
listening to some avant-garde underground explosion.
The acoustics at the Berlin Festspiele were particularly satisfying, especially during a duet solo between Mette Rasmussen and violinist Philipp Wachsmann. The tone and clarity of the saxophone mixing with the violin strings were spine-tingly good. Their combined sonic vibrations paired with their expertise caused physical sensations to arise - goosebumps - and I found this to be the case for all members of the orchestra. They are all super qualified, as musicians and improvisers, such that their combination felt like much more than the sum of its parts. Although there were moments that were busy and chaotic, it never felt overwhelming. It was very easy to hear each and every member's contribution and role in contributing to the overall masterpiece.
Amidst the more chaotic parts, there was an epic, uplifting, triumphant theme, which presented itself about halfway through the piece, played with such passion that it reduced me to tears. Needless to say, when the theme triumphantly returned near the tail end of the performance - the musicians united as one and the piece was honoured so beautifully. There were so many individual talents on the stage. When I initially saw the listing of performers, with so many big names, I was wondering how they were going to have their moment, or if they would simply just be part of the unified sound. How they would stand out. I told this to Barry’s good friend and frequent collaborator, pianist Jordina Millá, who had been watching the rehearsals. "Barry makes it work," she said. I didn't quite understand what she meant by this at the time, but I can confirm that Barry does indeed make it work. Apparently this performance was recorded. I would do anything to have a copy, because I need it in my life.
MOPCUT feat. MC Dälek: “Ryok” @ Quasimodo
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| MOPKUT feat. MC Dälek © Fabian Schelhorn |
Audrey Chen – voice, analog electronics
Julien Desprez – electric guitar
Will Brooks aka MC Dälek – voice, electronics
For a particularly avant-garde aural onslaught beginning at 11:30pm, it was unsurprising that the Quasimodo was not sardine-packed for this loud, wild, experimental show. There’s so much going on – Audrey Chen’s birdlike vocal improvisations crackle and sparkle alongside MC Dälek's dark raps and effects. There are distinct grooves here, carried impressively by Lukas König's passionate drumming but if there is one unique standout amongst these beautiful freaks, it’s got to be Julien Desprez and his absurd “guitar” playing. Inspired by Brazilian tap dancing, Julien has taken to the concept using his feet to tap his effects pedals in sequence, creating bizarre rhythms and tones. He does this whilst playing the guitar, sitting atop a high chair. It’s giggle inducing because it sounds fantastic, and the performative element is undeniably fun. This is all glued together with a triggered digital bass sound from Lukas, filling in all the gaps for a lush, immersive collage. The club environment is a perfect atmosphere for this kind of avant-garde chaos, and for the passionate individuals who stick around til the very end, a quirky late-night delight!
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| Dafnie Extended |
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| The Moabit Imaginarium © Berliner Festspiele Photo Camille Blake |
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| Pat Thomas © Berliner Festspiele Photo Camille Blake |
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| Fire! Orchestra © Berliner Festspiele Photo Camille Blake |
The final concert of the festival was actually the James Brandon Lewis Quartet at Quasimodo ... undoubtedly an excellent digestive to this musical feast.
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