Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio & Peter Evans - Live in Lisbon (NoBusiness, 2014) ****½

By Martin Schray

Stefan Wood has already praised Portuguese tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado and every word he wrote is true. The Freedom Principle is a marvelous album, but it is not the only one Amado has released on the fabulous Lithuanian NoBusiness label: Live in Lisbon, the one we will talk about today, is actually the first of the two releases, it was recorded live on 16th of March, in 2013, while The Freedom Principle is a studio recording from two days later.

Live in Lisbon consists of two tracks - “Conflict is Intimacy” and “Music is the Music Language” – and especially the first title functions as a guiding idea the musicians seemed to have for this album. Obviously, Rodrigo Amado (saxes), Peter Evans (tp), Miguel Mira (c) and Gabriel Ferrandini (dr) carry out conflicts, since they are free individuals bringing in different ideas. They are on stage to make a statement, but they respect each other, there is an open-mindedness which is necessary to create something new. In order to achieve this, the musicians have to be intimate, they have to trust each other.

Gabriel Ferrandini’s and Miguel Mira’s contribution cannot be overrated here. Ferrandini’s drumming is a mixture of Paal Nilssen-Love’s wild outbursts and Tim Daisy’s use of additional material, which creates both a certain texture and independent solo contributions (like a moderator who is taking part in a discussion). The same could be said about Mira, who swings to and fro between a pulse generator and a self-confident participant fueling the conflict. This is what makes this music so great: the absence of traditional rhythm which is just there to support the soloists, instead there is a spiritual wholeness of a real group. Nevertheless, Amado and Evans are prominent and pull out all the stops in this musical debate. They use their musical language (grammar) to create new music (content) - so the second title is kind of programmatic as well. Their communication can be hot headed, reasonable, emotional, convincing and self-reflexive at the same time.

The result is self-determined music of an outstanding quality, it is a dynamic, unifying force that is not only beautiful to listen to, but also expands the listener’s awareness of what it means to be human and really alive, it is an uplifting experience. The quartet plays in a context which is a natural evolution of Ornette Coleman’s legendary quartet, each member contributing his whole individuality freely and spontaneously while at the same time,  considering the aesthetic needs of the composition. There are a lot of magic moments in these 38 minutes (for example the beginning of “Music is the Music Language” or the last eight minutes in general, or the tender communication in the middle of “Conflict is Intimacy”).

This recording is a unified, harmonic whole, a spiritual unity (Ayler’s influence on Amado is clearly audible) which is finally what this music is about. It is about real freedom and real democracy in this world, it wouldn’t work if it was fake.

Live in Lisbon is limited to 300 vinyl copies only.

Both Live in Lisbon and The Freedom Principle are available from Instantjazz.

Watch Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio & Peter Evans here:

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Rodrigo Amado - Wire Quartet (Clean Feed, 2014) ****

By Stef 

If anything, we can applaud the work done by Pedro Costa of Clean Feed to get Portuguese musicians of quality visibility and especially audibility outside of the country. One of these musicians is saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, featured here in the past few days with three excellent albums.

His Wire quartet consists of Hernani Faustino and Gabriel Ferrandini, the rhythm section - if I can use that word - of the much acclaimed RED Trio, and with Manuel Mota on guitar, featured before on this blog on various guitar reviews.

Amado is a fierce saxophonist, but his sound his warm and deep, which he manages to maintain even in the more savage moments. He is not Brötzmann or Gustafsson or Dunmall or Perelman or Gjerstad. His sound is warm and gentle like a summer breeze, even when the breeze gets to storm level, it is never bone-chilling, it keeps its warm round tone.

With the Wire Quartet, the band improvises freely, without prior themes or agreements, music flowing as it is, in the moment but with a great sense of direction, and with Amado leading the quartet through moments of calm intensity, of more nervous agitation, of increases speed and volume, and all nuances in between. Faustino and Ferrandini I no longer need to acclaim, as I have done that sufficiently before, these guys know their craft - technically - and their art - musically - to co-create to move as one to emphasise to color to propulse forward to go against the grain and to support.

Mota's guitar is the disruptive element in the band. His harsh dry sound is the ideal counterbalance of the sax, offering a strange tension of extremes, yet they move so well in the same direction that the disruption becomes a real partnership, like rocks in a stream creating torrents. "Abandon Yourself", the first track, is almost half an hour long, and moves like a river from quiet brook over wild rapids to quieter places again, with Mota's noise forcing Amado into savage outbursts and Amado's sax pushing Mota into unexpected moments of sensitive gentleness.

"Surrender", the second piece is shorter and a real slow free improv piece introduced by Mota's guitar, and again the guitar's short bursts and sprinkles of notes are in a constant countersound to Amado's long and sustained wails, full of tradition and bluesy inflections.

The album ends in beauty, with a track called "To The Music", again starting with sounds that grow organically out of silent first moves and gentle countermoves and subtle pushes forward, until the total sound emerges with solid foundations and volume, offering Amado the chance to shine, to soar, to sing his lyrical jazzy phrases full of agony and excitement propulsed forward by the rhythm sections and chased by the mad guitar of Manuel Mota, like a clash of two traditions merging into one coherent fist of music.


Available from Instantjazz.

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Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio & Peter Evans – Freedom Principle (NoBusiness, 2014) *****

By Stefan Wood

The Freedom Principle is an album crackling with energy.  Consisting of three long tracks, none shorter than 11 minutes, the album is full of bristling creativity and expression, never feeling tired or lost. 

Rodrigo Amado is a musician and photographer from Lisbon, Portugal (check out his artist home page; in addition to his discography, he had a link to his pictures and a photo book, all very nice), who was involved in the burgeoning free jazz scene there in the mid to late 90's.  The start of Clean Feed enabled many of the artists, including Amado, to record their music and get international exposure.  He had the first release from that label, The Implicate Order at Seixal.  Amado sees himself as carrying the tradition of saxophone players like Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp, and Sam Rivers, taking his knowledge of jazz and his own creativity, and channeling it with energy and focus.

On The Freedom Principle album from NoBusiness, his working trio with cellist Miguel Mira and drummer Gabriel Ferrandini is joined by trumpeter Peter Evans (from New York and member of the International Contemporary Ensemble - ICE).  The title track is a 25+ minute opus that grabs the listener right from the start; Amado playing like Sonny Rollins in free form, with Ferrandi complementing, and then the others join in.  Evans pushes Amado with an insistent tone that punctuates, sometimes lurking in the background, other times adjacent to the sax playing.  About halfway through both horn players engage in an active dialogue that recalls that late 60's New Wave in Jazz scene, playing on top of each other, then along side, folding and turning their music in rhythms and tones that maintain the listener's interest. 

There's a lot to digest, and on repeated listens it gets more rewarding. Shadows is an 18+ minute experience in volume, going from the terrific playing of Mira and Evans, playing at an almost whisper, the cello squeaking and trumpet mouthpiece blowing, to a more aggressive and louder interaction when Amado and Ferrandini join in, cello and sax vibrating, becoming very intense, then back down low, then loud again, Evans in full voice, stretching and pushing his instrument to the limit. Pepper Packed (a tribute to Art Pepper?) has Evans leading off with a solo, then Ferrandini, then a duet with Ferrandini and Mira, with Amado finally joining in with a more relaxed sound, almost ballad like, but the rhythm section plays against that notion.  On this final track one can hear Amado's influences, and the very clever way he integrates them into his own sound.

The Freedom Principle is a high point for everyone involved, and a reaffirmation that the traditions of jazz are not dead, but cleverly integrated into new sounds and stories, by artists like Rodrigo Amado and his group and Peter Evans.  This gets my highest recommendation!

Available from Instantjazz.

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Nils Petter Molvær – Switch (Okeh/Sony, 2014) ****

By Martin Schray

Just about half a year after his electronica attempt with Moritz von Oswald, Nils Petter Molvær is back with a completely different album which is a lot more organic than 1/1.

In his constant trying to re-invent himself he has decided to live up to his reputation of being unpredictable diving into a sound cosmos which is not obvious at all – country music. For this purpose Molvær has brought together pedal steel guitarist Geir Sundstøl, pianist Morten Qvenild and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Erland Dahlen to form his new band, the slide guitar being in the focus.

While 1/1 was strangely cold on some tracks this album breathes the warm and lyric– almost classic Molvær - atmosphere again, because Sundstøl’s calming pedal steel, which reminds very often of Ben Keith, supports his trumpet in an ideal way creating wide landscapes and big skies in the tradition of Neil Young’s and Bill Frisell’s country albums.

But the album is not only about organic, gentle and elegiac sketches (as on the three “Intrusion” tracks), it is rather a clash between this natural approach on the one hand and the use of harsh, angular electronics, funky rock grooves and the synthetic urban sounds in “The Kit” and “Bathroom” on the other. This is made possible because the wisest decision Molvær has made for this album was to re-hire former Madrugada drummer Erland Dahlen, who was the crucial element on his penultimate album Baboon Moon, and to allow him to display his multi-instrumentalist abilities playing steel and log drums, blossom bells, xylophone, and electric and baritone guitars as often as his characteristic hard-rock drums. As a result Dahlen’s contributions even enforce Molvær’s soundscapes and form the basis for the band’s cinematic sound.

Switch is like the essence of Molvær’s work so far: There are remote dub reminiscences of 1/1 (the dubs in “The Kit”), of Khmer and of Solid Ether (the dance beats and breaks on “Strange Pillows”), the Indian world music sprinkles on “Quiet Corners” that go through his works in general and the cinemascope drums and spooky electronics on “Bathroom” which could also be found on Baboon Moon. It will be interesting where Molvær’s way will lead him from here.

Switch is available on double vinyl, CD and as a download.

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Marc Ribot Trio - Live at the Village Vanguard (Pi, 2014) *****

By Paul Acquaro

Back in November, during the dates that Live at the Village Vanguard was recorded, we were packed in tight in the legendary jazz club's small triangular subterranean space. Much to our chagrin, the people sitting mere inches to our left were whistling and hooting at every loud sound that emanated from the stage. We agitated, tried shushing, and ultimately, we were fortunate that the music far overshadowed our neighbor's crude approach to appreciation.

The truth is, the Marc Ribot Trio is well worth hoots and whistles when applied appropriately. Veteran bassist and living connection to saxophonist Albert Ayler (whose spirit reins over this group), Henry Grimes, and superb drummer Chad Taylor, give guitarist Ribot the nimble and precise support to paint his abstract takes on both free-jazz and jazz standards.

Ribot has deconstructed standards before, like on the 2000 solo effort Saints and 1995's Don't Blame Me. He has also dove deeply into Ayler's spiritual and emotional territory with the group Spiritual Unity, which was comprised of this trio plus the trumpet work of the late Roy Campbell. It seems that 'Live at the Vanguard' offers a true synthesis of at least these two aspects of Ribot's playing.

You get a sense right away that this is special record from the early moments of the opening track, an interpretation of John Coltrane's 'Dearly Beloved' as Grimes delicately wanders with his bass into a melody sparingly outlined by Ribot. The tune builds in intensity and ferocity as Ribot lets the snarl of his guitar, delivering choice chordal fragments and melodic snippets.

Ayler's 'The Wizard' begins as a slightly demolished hoe-down, letting Ribot show another side of his musical interests. After the head, the group falls into an instrumental rock groove, with Taylor and Grimes keeping a strong pulse alive. The playing is raw, emotive, almost primitive, but at the same time, I sophisticated in its use of dynamics and textures. In a quiet moment, Grimes plays a very nice solo over Taylor's light stick work, before the group ramps up the intensity again.

This is an album full of highlights, for example, the intro to the standard 'Old Man River' is a solo guitar delight. Delicate and balanced, it serves as a nice foil to the 'The Wizard.' The guitar tone that Ribot uses on tunes like 'I'm Confessing' is a perfect blend of a dry, warm, electric hollow body coupled with a slightly menacing delivery - the perfect taste of sweet and sour.

So, maybe in retrospect we were a bit harsh in judging our fellow patrons. Maybe the folks next to us just couldn't contain themselves after yet another unbelievable turn around or that completely eviscerating version of 'Sun Ship'. We just need to relax and be happy that Live at the Village Vanguard is a great recording that captures a trio creating exciting and original interpretations of standards and classic free jazz tunes.

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Sheet Music: Complete Works Of Frantz Casseus V.1 Solo Guitar by Frantz Casseus (edited by Marc Ribot)

Followers of Ribot know of his early studies with Hatian guitarist Frantz Casséus. There is a hard to find recording that features his teacher's work. Recently, Ribot has been involved with the creation of a book of charts for solo guitar of Casséus. More info.

Interestingly, the book's release coincides with a June 16th benefit concert at the Issue Project Room in Brooklyn, NY for the Frantz Casséus Young Guitarists Program in Port-Au-Prince, a project that Ribot set up after the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

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Peter Brötzmann Roundup

In the last few years especially the Austrian label Cien Fuegos has re-released a lot of Peter Brötzmann’s recordings of the late 1960s up to the early 1980s. Lots of these albums were out of print for a long time and are now available as well. Also, the American Eremite label is a great resource for old and new Brötzmann stuff. Here are three essential examples.

Peter Brötzmann Trio – For Adolphe Sax (Cien Fuegos, 2014) ***½

By Tom Burris

This is Peter Brötzmann's debut recording from 1967.  It was reissued a little over a decade ago on Atavistic as part of a series called Unheard Music that also added a bonus track from a different session.  It's been available on vinyl twice before: on its initial small run on Brötzmann's own Brö label, and again as one of FMP's first releases.  This is the first time For Adolphe Sax has been available on vinyl in over 40 years!  That's not the only reason to celebrate though, as Cien Fuegos has done an incredible job remastering this work of major historical significance.  The sound on this record completely blew me away, especially when compared to the Atavistic CD.

Back in 1967, the classic Brötzmann sound was still a work-in-progress.  It sounds surprisingly thin compared to the full-throated bleating growl we know today.  In short, it lacks the richness it was to acquire in just a year or two.  The trio itself was also short-lived.  Peter Kowald (bass) and Sven-Ake Johansson (drums) would soon leave Brötzmann, to be replaced by the more celebrated trio featuring Fred Van Hove (piano) and Han Bennink (drums). 

The title track takes up all of the A-side and features, primarily, Brötzmann squealing over the sure-footed million-man stomping of the two-man rhythm section.  In theory, this sounds fantastic; but reality shows that Brötzmann needed a counterpoint here.  Pharoah had Coltrane; Arthur Doyle had Frank Lowe – and Coltrane and Lowe were the leaders.  Pharoah broadened his style by the time he made his first solo recordings; but Doyle's solo efforts desperately cry out for balance.  That's the problem Brötzmann has on For Adolphe Sax.  Having said this, the record also lacks the full-on ecstatic assault of Alabama Feeling – or Machine Gun - although at the time of its release this may have been the most insanely fiery record on the planet.  This record is simply not much more than a promising beginning to the great man's career; and in this respect, it's a bit like the first couple of Ornette Coleman records: interesting, promising, full of great ideas – but not yet hitting the mark.  However, if you have more than a passing interest in Mr. Brötzmann this disc is essential – and here's why: Back in the late sixties, most outward-bound jazz recordings were still anchored by themes, a head, something somewhat melodic – even Cecil's work!  This record has none of that; and this is its declaration of intent.  European Free Improvisation starts here.

The remaining two tracks are slightly more subdued, with Johansson playing with mallets and Brotzmann leading the changes on the slower “Sanity,” and a squawking war between Brötzmann and Kowald on “Morning Glory,” which also features Brötzmann doing an Ornette-plays-the-braying-mule imitation perfectly. 

Three stars for the music – and an extra half-star for the sound mastering. 

Available from Instant Jazz.

Brötzmann/Miller/Moholo - Opened, But Hardly Touched (Cien Fuegos, 2014) ***** 

By Martin Schray

In the mid-1970s Peter Brötzmann was the leader of his legendary trio with Fred Van Howe and Han Bennink (before this one he had the one with Peter Kowald and Sven-Åke Johansson on the aforementioned “For Adolphe Sax”). It was a sheer miracle that this trio lasted for five years and recorded eight albums, since there was constant friction especially between Van Hove and Bennink (Brötzmann calls it “a fight between three heavyweights”). At last, they decided to go separate ways.

After the split Brötzmann formed another trio with the South African musicians Harry Miller on bass and Louis Moholo on drums. Brötzmann said in an interview: “I was glad just to be there with a new trio, which was a kind of relief anyway. There was not so much to say, it was just about playing. Louis gave me a completely different idea about my own playing. Harry was the good soul of the trio – he was a good soul no matter who he was playing with. So that was very good for me, otherwise I would have fallen into a deep void.”*

Together they released two albums, “The Nearer the Bone, the Sweeter the Meat” (1979 on FMP, re-released by Cien Fuegos in 2012) and “Opened, But Hardly Touched” (1981 on FMP), and after being in a constant group for such a long time the new trio was a real relief for Brötzmann, in the end it opened up another world for him.

And you can hear this world on “Opened, But Hardly Touched”. While the music of the old trio rather focused on an iconoclastic approach including clownesque elements and German folk songs, Brötzmann comes back to his influences here, especially the blues. On the first track “Eine kleine Nachtmarie” (a malapropism of Mozart’s “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”) his clarinet soloing is still torn between these worlds since Harry Miller’s rolling bass tries to win him over for this new way. It seems that Brötzmann tries to defend his old position, however, on the next track “Trotzdem und dennoch” (“In Spite Of and However”) Moholo purports the rules and Brötzmann (now on tenor) cannot resist the slow swinging pulse the rhythm group provides. Yet, Brötzmann has not completely changed here, his notorious blowing stamina is still in him. “Special Request for Malibu” is an angry, intense and furious attack in which he blows his lungs out, for example, on the other hand the band suddenly falls into quiet and reflective moments.

Moholo and Miller are his anchor, never denying their South African background but they combine it with a lot of western influences. Moholo sometimes even mumbles, groans and shouts in the background  – as if it was an anticipation to what Brötzmann was going to do  soon with Ronald Shannon Jackson and Last Exit.

“Opened, But Hardly Touched” is the missing link between his old trios, his rock excursions in the 1980s, his sax drum duos and Die Like A Dog. Like “For Adolphe Sax” it is a must-have (which was hard to get for about 20 years). Thank you, Cien Fuegos!

* The interview passages are taken from the recently published “Brötzmann: We Thought We Could Change Something – Conversations with Gerard Rouy”; Wolke Verlag Hofheim.
The interviews are in English, for fans it is absolutely recommended.

“Opened, but hardly touched” is available as a limited double vinyl edition.

You can buy it from the label’s distributor: http://www.trost.at/

Peter Brötzmann / Han Bennink – In Amherst 2006  (Brö, 2008)  ****½

    

       

By Tom Burris

Several years ago, I stumbled onto a Brötzmann & Bennink clip on youtube that so astonishingly good I snagged it and put it on my iPod for repeated viewings.  That video was taped at the performance documented on this disc, which was released as a tour CD in 2008.  I'm not sure if it is being reissued, but its initial release is still listed on the Eremite website.

The disc opens with Bennink playing his drumsticks against the floor (and maybe the walls) while Brötzmann blows the taragoto.  It's a mere two minutes before Bennink is banging his kit with rapid fire asskickery, to which Brötzmann responds in kind.  For my money, nobody provides the kind of magic carpet on which Brötzmann loves to fly quite like Han.  This is followed by jaw-droppingly amazing interplay between the masters on “I Am His Brother”, with Brötzmann now on clarinet.  The conversation turns quickly into antagonism on the next track, on which Brötzmann tries to take to the skies over and over while Bennink chases after him, pulls him down, and kicks him after each attempt until they both collapse on the ground with laughter.  Then Han plays piano on “I Am Everyman”, eventually coaxing Brötzmann to go Lester Young around the 8.5 minute mark! 

Further highlights:  Brötzmann quotes Monk's “Pannonica” on “This Is My Faith”.  “My Deepest Hope and My Only Relief” opens with a beautifully spastic (or is it spastically beautiful?) Bennink solo before cutting loose into more astonishing “playing as one” interplay.  The beginning of “My Strength”, which is the unreal Youtube clip I saw way back when, morphs into a Prime Time groove with just the duo of Ornette and Denardo. 

These guys have played together for decades and are almost always “in the zone” when they play together, but this document is particularly outstanding.  The titles here seem to be the consecutive lines of a poem.  Forgive me if I don't recognize it.  One more thing:  How was this ever conceived of as a limited release?  And worse, how did it not sell out yet?!?  This thing is amazing from start to finish.  Essential.

Video:

Available from Instant Jazz.

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Microwaves – Regurgitant Phenomena (New Atlantis, 2014) ***½

By Julian Eidenberger

In the case of noise-rock power trio Microwaves, the choice of subject matter is not completely arbitrary vis-à-vis their music. In other words, the band’s obsession with retro-futurism is reflected in the music itself, and not just something that provides the band with a more readily distinguishable “image.” For one thing, Microwaves make extensive use of a synthesizer, and there’s probably no other instrument today that is so closely and readily associated with the idea of an “outdated future.” Beyond that, the trio plays a style of music that could be called retro-futurist, as well – a style that was cutting-edge in bygone times. This remark, however, is not meant as disparagement; Rather, it is meant to call attention to the fact that the band’s main influences – 90’s noise-rock, 80’s hardcore-punk, late-70’s no wave and post-punk – are, in a way, timeless styles of music, styles that haven’t lost their edge and are therefore still futurist, albeit in a “retro-” kind of way. Those styles – or rather their best exponents – continue to be relevant, probably because “their future” – their potential – wasn’t fully realized in the past.

Regurgitant Phenomena is, then, a time capsule of sorts that brings back to life old, but still relevant sounds and ideas; As such, it shouldn’t be accused of regurgitating (pun intended) past styles. Most tracks here fly by in hardly over two minutes: They rely mostly on fast, punkish tempos, but frequently inject proggy time changes, too. Yet while tracks such as Drug Damage – which definitely bears a strong resemblance to cult favorites Dazzling Killmen – or Goonraker, which sports an angular guitar-synth hook, are certainly not without charms, the two longer tracks Dead Hand and Clone Parade, both of which last over six minutes, are probably the high points of the album, since they expand on the spacious, synth-heavy side of the band’s sound.

In sum, Regurgitant Phenomena is a rock-solid album that – while not particularly “jazzy” in the usual sense of the word – could and should appeal not only to adventurous rock fans, but to listeners accustomed to the more experimental side of jazz, as well. Don’t let this time capsule remain unopened.


Listen and buy from the label.

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Thurston Moore / Gabriel Ferrandini / Pedro Sousa - Live at ZDB (Shhpuma 2014) ****½

By Matthew Grigg

Survival Records, October Revolution in Jazz, Tzadik and The Stone, Studio Rivbea, Jazz Composers Guild, El Saturn Records, Company Week and Incus, Mopomoso, Debut Records; there is a well established precedent of Free music practitioners having to create their own opportunities for exposure. Thurston Moore offers an alternative to this template. Sure, he has established his own record label, and helped curate concert series and festivals. But where his contribution really differs is in the profile he has within mainstream culture, and the manner in which that platform has been used to espouse the merits of what interests and informs him. A staunch champion of Free music, Moore once claimed to be interested in "playing with anyone" which has lead to countless ad hoc groupings with less-than-household names (as well as many of the cream of the current Free Improvisers). In addition to which, many of his recordings have been issued by small independent labels, affording them increased visibility often outside of their usual demographic.

With the release of this live set recorded in Lisbon, Moore has killed both these birds with one stone. Saxophonist Pedro Sousa (Pão) and drummer Gabriel Ferrandini (Red Trio) have been rightly lauded on these pages, and whilst their names are not entirely unfamiliar, this release affords them both individual attention and an opportunity to step out from behind the relative anonymity of their band's names. Similarly, fledgling Portugese label Shhpuma, baby brother to the excellent Clean Feed, now has its own turn in the sun.

According to the label's promotional spiel, during pre-gig discussion the trio had agreed they would "play soft, focusing on the details". They do not keep to this plan for long. Ferrandini and Sousa are straining at the leash almost from the off, the saxophonist's overblown textures keening to erupt, the drums verge on bubbling over, seemingly trying to goad the guitarist into following. Moore, so often the noisenik in these situations, is the coolest head, playing the long game like an old master. He keeps pace as the others race ahead without being fully drawn into the fray, calming the initial impetuousness with languid feedback lines. In so doing, part of the game plan remains intact and textural 'detail' becomes the foundation, albeit roughly hewn rather than 'soft'.

Texture is Moore's stock in trade and the grumbling low-end smears of Sousa's tenor and baritone work well in this context, furthered by the gritty electronics he deploys which often shadow or add surface detail to the contorted guitar lines. Ferrandini interjects serrated accents amid his propulsive percussion, often coalescing around the more knotted clamour as inertia pulls inextricably toward the red. The trio play with this sense of tension for the duration of the set, on countless occasions the heat their momentum generates seems certain to fully ignite and finally submit to its incendiary potential. However, even at its most scorched it feels like a controlled burn, with a large depth of field to the dynamics.

This inaugural encounter smoulders with potential and suggests more to come should the trio ever be reprised. Moore is on a fine run of form at the moment, as this blog will attest. Long may it continue.

Buy it here.

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Sam Rivers – Contrasts (ECM, 1980/2014) ****

By Troy Dostert

We can all be grateful that ECM’s new reissue series, Re:solutions, has begun to bring to light some of the signature releases from earlier in the label’s history.  Perhaps the most adventurous of the lot so far is Contrasts, in which we get to hear a veteran ensemble of creative improvisers at the peak of their powers.  This was officially Sam Rivers’ release, but it was truly a joint endeavor, involving Rivers (on soprano and tenor saxophone and flute), his frequent collaborator Dave Holland (bass), and Thurman Barker (drums, marimba) and George Lewis (trombone). 

Rivers, Holland and Barker had previously recorded together just a couple years prior, on Rivers’ Waves, so one would expect this band to be tight, and it is, with Holland and Barker clearly able to sense each other’s moves and stay in constant conversation, even while keeping an open and flexible rhythmic feel to the record’s seven tracks.  The album’s opener, “Circles,” begins with all four musicians exploring a range of ideas in close rapport; it’s the freest of the seven tracks, and it’s a great avenue for listening to each musician respond sympathetically to the offerings of the others.  Holland is at his best and most lyrical here, playing sinuous arco melodies as Barker pounds out powerful interjections to respond to Lewis and Rivers, both of whom alternate between longer flurries of notes and shorter bursts.  Lewis in particular seems inclined to push the track into a kind of march at times, with brief repeated phrases, and as the track unfolds Barker keeps the track moving along almost exclusively using his toms and snare, with little reliance on his cymbals.  It’s a great glimpse of an open-ended improvisation that seems grounded in a shared understanding—almost sounding composed, but with enough fluidity to keep one guessing what’s coming next.

The other tracks provide a lot of variety, with “Zip,” the second track, providing a much more conventional complexly written post-bop head, giving us a chance to hear the band cook with some spirited blowing from Rivers on tenor.  Hearing Holland and Barker lock in on this one is exciting indeed.  “Solace” offers a languid, mysterious exploration, with Barker mostly on marimba and some great mutual interaction between Rivers and Lewis.  Then on “Verve,” the band settles in with a funky, latin-flavored groove that offers a nice change of pace from the somewhat less structured previous track, and features Rivers at his most accessible, this time on flute.  And the remaining three tracks are equally challenging, intriguing, and stimulating, as these musicians offer a great deal to absorb in just over forty minutes.  Perhaps the highlight of the last half of the record is the brilliant (and appropriately titled) “Dazzle,” which features some truly fiery playing by Rivers, Lewis and Holland.

Let’s hope that ECM has a lot more of these reissues in the works, as it’s a great opportunity to witness the label’s sometimes under-recognized contribution to the development of the jazz avant-garde during this formative period.    

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Isabelle Cirla et Joël Trolonge - Le Retour Du Coelacanthe (Linoleum - 2013) ****

By Stef 


This album has been in my "draft" box for a while. I listened to it a lot. It is a great album. Isabelle Cirla on bass clarinet. Joël Trolonge on bass. I hesitated to review it, because it clearly is not free jazz, nor free music or even avant-garde. Yet it is relatively unique, with composed pieces and some improvisation. Is it even jazz? 

There is a lot to admire here. The quality of the compositions. The quality of the playing. The sensitivity.The precision. The depth. The purity. The atmosphere. The low sounds of bass clarinet and double bass. Yet it all sounds light and accessible. Welcoming back the ancient fish to this world. In a way, this music is also timeless.

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