Jazz em Agosto / Lisbon, August 1-10 (2/3)

By David Cristol 

Days 4 → 7  (see previous)

Próspero’s books

Luís Vicente Trio. Photo by Petra Cvelbar/Gulbenkian Musica

The Luís Vicente Trio is a fully Portuguese band for the trumpeter (who adds bells, whistle, kalimba, bottles and other toy-like instruments to his arsenal), after some time touring and recording with William Parker, Luke Stewart, Hamid Drake, John Dikeman, Mark Sanders, Onno Govaert and the Ceccaldi brothers. The trio with Gonçalo Almeida (b) and Pedro Melo Alves (dm, perc, objects) has two albums out on Clean Feed and was previously heard at the first edition of the neighboring Causa Efeito festival with Tony Malaby as their guest. The spirit and ideas of fire and open music innovators such as Don Cherry are an obvious influence. Several tunes promote hymn-like themes, followed by heated playing. Vicente alternates between elusive flurries and assertive, longer lines. He however doesn't try to be a virtuoso in either the Peter Evans or Wynton Marsalis molds. It’s about the music, not the trumpet. It’s about the people he plays with. It’s about interacting and sharing. Alves has a great sound (and his own albums come recommended). Almeida is on top form, propelling the jams, fully committed whether he holds a rhythm, soloes with a big strong tone or engages in wordless chanting. An elegiac melody soars over unruly and busy playing.

João Próspero Quartet. Photo by Petra Cvelbar/Gulbenkian Musica

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and some musicians find it in the works of painters, authors, activists as much as among their peers and mentors. Think of Myra Melford and her frequent references to artists unrelated to the music world, from writer Eduardo Galeano to painter, photographer and sculptor Cy Twombly. For the work titled Sopros, Porto’s composer and bassist João Próspero finds its muse in the writings of contemporary Japanese author Haruki Murakami. The quartet, made up of Joaquim Festas (elg), Miguel Meirinhos (p) and Gonçalo Ribeiro (dm) can be credited with original compositional ideas. The approach is definitely on the quiet side, the quartet unlikely to break a string or wake up the neighborhood. Prettily floating in the air, the light-as-a-feather music from the romantic four sounds unconcerned by the world’s commotion. On the encore, the combined influences of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Michael Nyman are felt.

MOPCUT with Moor Mother. Photo by Petra Cvelbar/Gulbenkian Musica

The international MOPCUT trio comes to Lisbon with the two guests from their latest effort, RYOK. Ace vocalist Audrey Chen's whimpers introduce the set in tune with the garden’s pond frogs, to which Moor Mother adds ruminations of her own. Drummer Lukas König initially opts for extremely peaceful playing, while Mother chugs into a harmonica with single notes bursts. This results in a kind of dark ambient, which transforms into another beast when Julien Desprez tumbles onstage spraying venomous drops from his Gatling gun guitar. Mother intones her first verses while shaking a rattle and dancing. Desprez kicks off a steady rhythm, MC Dälek throws irate rapping to the menacing bass notes from his synth, with König fleshing out the beat. The noise-meets-improv-meets-hip-hop fusion feels like a jam session, pleasant enough but rather stagnant and directionless between intermittent flashes of brilliance. A fine moment has Moor Mother delivering paranoid verses in her portentous voice, making more sense than Lee Scratch Perry.

Edward George. Photo by Petra Cvelbar/Gulbenkian Musica

After a series of relatively accessible acts from the finest protagonists of the era, the stakes are raised a few notches with artistic statements of a courageous, perhaps visionary nature. As the fest enters its final run, it throws uncompromising, hard to grasp music at the audience, more puzzling than it is immediately enjoyable. In particular, yet another meaningful, awe-inspiring project featuring pianist and electronics magus Pat Thomas in his fourth successive appearance at the festival, after being part of the Evan Parker ensemble, [Ahmed] and The Locals. The X-Ray Hex Tet has an album available, but listening to it doesn’t give a proper idea of the tense and stimulating experience it is to hear them live, with a superlative sound and no distraction. The sextet appears in the dimly lit auditorium and treats listeners to a considered but harrowing experience. It is somber, resorts to silence and hushed emissions, gets sonorous at times but never veers into overdrive. XT’s, [Ahmed]’s and jazz critic Seymour Wright favors short and coarse notes on the alto saxophone. Add two drummers, Crystabel Riley and Paul Abbott and, almost unseen, Billy Steiger on violin and the rare celesta. Finally and crucially, writer, broadcaster and spoken word artist Edward George reads excerpts from a pile of books and resorts to samples related to the politically aware and consciousness-raising subject matter : academic responsibility in the validation and perpetuation of mistreatments based on racial prejudice such as slavery, phrenology, hangings and colonization. It's not fun to listen to, but is for sure arresting, and the present-day implications give the listeners food for thought. The reader’s voice is clear and neutral, neither passionate nor angry, the facts dreadful enough without need for overstatement. The fragmentary display of the texts means that words are just one element of a patiently built whole. The gloomy tone doesn't lend itself to rapturous applause ; it leaves the audience stunned. An impressive work from a decidedly inspired group of artists from the UK.

Aleuchatistas 3. Photo by Petra Cvelbar/Gulbenkian Musica

Who needs categories when Aleuchatistas 3’s fast-moving music rocks at full steam, copious with ideas, twists and turns ? Odd time signature riffs are played at breakneck speed. The structures are tight and likely tricky to execute, but the delivery seems effortless. Of course Trevor Dunn (elb) and Shane Parish (erstwhile Shane Perlowin, on electric guitar and originator of the trio over 20 years ago) are no slouches when it comes to tackling difficult material. The discovery here is drummer Danny Piechocki. His contribution is central to building the inescapable architectures of the song-length compositions. Each track goes straight to the point. No fat around the edges. Parish appears as the most laid-back person to ever walk on a stage, his unfazed demeanor at odds with the somewhat obsessive-manic aesthetics of the music. I had lost track of Ahleuchatistas after their pair of albums on Tzadik – no wonder they pleased John Zorn’s ears, as the trio’s fierce focus and quick about-face have much in common with the New York manitou’s own leanings over the years. At one point, Parish plays alone, a preview of his solo set on the next day. He gives his regards to the full moon, looming behind the audience. The songs, lifted from the trio’s current album, are intricate yet engaging. On « What's your problem » Parish settles for high-pitched washes over an insane workout from the rhythm team, oddly reminiscent of the JB’s at their peak.