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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Sonar – Static Motion (Cuneiform, 2014) ****

By Julian Eidenberger

Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but there seems to be a resurgence of Minimalist ideas going on in rock music right now. 2013 saw the release of (at least) two albums that managed to apply the basic rules of Minimalism in appealing ways to an avant-rock template: For Appalachian Excitation, the “freak-folk” troupe Megafaun teamed up with legendary composer Arnold Dreyblatt; and only a few months later, Zevious released Passing through the Wall (reviewed on these pages not too long ago). If you object now that it takes at least three bands to constitute a “movement”, well, this is where the Swiss band Sonar comes into play. Published in February, their new album Static Motion is indeed the third record in hardly more than six months that brings to life the Minimalist principle – ceaseless repetition and subtle variation – by means of more or less conventional rock-band instrumentation. Beyond that, however, the Swiss group doesn’t share too much common ground with its peers. Given Minimalism’s emphasis on self-restraint and its supposed narrowness, it’s actually quite surprising how different the three groups sound: In terms of mood, Megafaun’s joyful excitement couldn’t possibly be much farther removed from Zevious’s thorny, noise rock-derived dissonance; and Sonar, for their part, represent a “third way” that’s equidistant from both of them.

What sets the Swiss four-piece – Stephan Thelen and Bernhard Wagner (g.), Christian Kuntner (b.), Manuel Pasquinelli (dr.) – apart is the comparative calm exuded by their music; for the most part, Static Motion eschews the propulsive-ness favored by the other groups mentioned. This, of course, is inseparable from the philosophy underlying the whole album: As its title suggests, Static Motion sees the band wrestling with an old dilemma, a dilemma that revolves around the difficulty to represent stasis by musical means. The first track, then – which also happens to be the title track –, can be viewed as a statement of intent. All the key elements of the band’s sound are present here – the unusual tuning of the two guitars (and the bass, as well) and the extensive use of complex (poly-)rhythms –, and they are combined in such a way as to give the impression of something that moves but doesn’t make any progress.

Paradoxically, it’s the ceaseless activity of what I assume to be micro-intervals that accounts for a sense of stasis here, whereas the slower-moving melody that eventually creeps into the song is at first perceived as an actual forward motion. Once they run parallel to each other, however, the “giant steps” of said melody – which references Mahavishnu’s Meeting of the Spirits – seem to be not moving forward at all; all of a sudden, this melody is more akin to the image of a mountain as mirrored in a lake, seemingly solid and yet constantly blurred and obscured by ripples in the water. It’s an intriguing reversal that brings the band’s philosophy to life.

Moreover, it illustrates the main strength of this record: its evocative power. Far from being a merely mathematical exercise in rhythm and repetition, Static Motion manages time and again to envelop the listener in a vivid atmosphere. Consider, for instance, how the dubby bass and chiming guitars in the aptly titled “Shadowplay” convey the feel of a late-night car ride, where the constant change of light and shadow lulls you into a dream-like state, and the potentially lethal velocity is seemingly softened to calm hovering. Or listen to how the guitar in “Continuum” seems to tell tales of bygone times, recalling Takoma Records-fingerpickers like John Fahey. Still, not everything on this largely strong record works. While “Vertical Time” is an apt track to end this album – what else but silence could follow on twelve minutes of near-stasis? –, it doesn’t really manage to grab the listener’s attention. With that complaint out of the way, it only remains for me to add that this Minimalist resurgence may continue as far as I’m concerned – if future contributions are as strong as Sonar’s, that is.

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APUH! - Ett (Pälsrobot, 2014) ****

By Paul Acquaro

APUH! is a woodwind, bass and drum trio from Sweden, an ever fertile region for inventive jazz, and their debut recording Ett, which covers the free jazz lexicon, doesn't disappoint.

While some of the songs and passages lean to the sparser side, tracks like the opener 'Hållbara ballonger' fires on all free cylinders to the end. Next, 'A German from Russia', begins with the sax playing a long melodic phrase, until the bass and drums establish something like a bossa-nova groove. Later in the tune, the group descends into a furious classic free jazz melee, a three way battle of pulse and breath. The track 'Malmö II' counts off almost like straight ahead rock. The sax starts out forcefully, but soon the tune breaks apart and the musicians begin interacting with more nuance and texture. The deconstructed state lasts through the end of the track, an unusual and engaging song structure.

"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' starts with a clatter of Hampus Öhman-Frölund's percussion, Adrian Åsling Sellius's clarinet soon joins, spinning a free form melody. It's only until well in the later portion of the track where Mats Dimming's double bass enters, bringing the woodwind/percussion duo back to the ground.  Freely improvised, with lots of strands of ideas coming and going, a good comparison may in fact be the music of influential early 1960's Jimmy Giuffre Trio (a reference that's been popping up around here a bit lately).

Ett is an exciting recording. The trio acknowledges the past and is confidently exploring new directions.

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