Record Reviews

LIQUID QUINTET ~ FLUX FSR 2019/17 (Barcode: 5905279364561) ~ SPAIN ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2019 This is a live recording, captured during the 12th Ad Libitum Festival in Warsaw, by the Liquid QuintetFind albums by this artist, one of several Improvising Music ensembles under the "Liquid" moniker, led by Spanish pianist Agusti FernandezFind albums by this artist. The other members of the quintet are Spanish saxophonist Albert CireraFind albums by this artist and drummer Ramon PratsFind albums by this artist, who together with Fernandez constitute the Liquid TrioFind albums by this artist, and Polish trumpeter Artur MajewskiFind albums by this artist and bassist Rafal MazurFind albums by this artist. The album presents five tracks, all co-credited to the five musicians taking part in the music-making process, as appropriate for the idiom. Fernandez, who is undoubtedly the most internationally recognized representative of the Spanish musical Avant-Garde, is a most prolific artist with a huge number (around 100) of recordings as a leader and sideman, probably more than any other European Improvised Music activist. There is nothing wrong with this fact per se, but it does create certain "cautiousness" upon approaching his recordings. The connection between him and the Polish Avant-Garde is quite natural and produced several earlier fruitful meetings, including the participation of Mazur on several occasions. The music is exactly what one would expect from such spontaneous performance; a continuous barrage of notes exchanged between the quintet members, which vary in intensity from hardly audible to overwhelming, creating, as the title suggests, a prolonged flux of energy and sound. There us an obvious affinity and musical conversation between the quintet members, but with a complete lack of melody, harmony and structure, this music can be considered as "digestible" only by the very innate circle of hardcore Improvised Music / Avant-Garde connoisseurs, which of course is perfectly fine. All five musicians are excellent instrumentalist, which can be heard by a trained-ear listener. Although the concept of soloing is nonexistent in a group improvisation idiom as such, there are many moments where just one musician is left "up front" by his cohorts and is able to articulate his statement more recognizably on top of the quiet background improvisations. But of course the telepathic communication between the musicians is the essence. Improvised music is very similar to nonfigurative visual arts; the combination of colors and shapes either convinces the person looking at it or doesn´t, which is often mood dependent. This music is offered to the listener on the exact same principle: take it or leave it. Count me in :)

Updated: 02/09/2020Posted: 02/09/2020

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ZAKROCKI / OLAK / FERNANDEZ ~ SPONTANEOUS CHAMBER MUSIC VOL.2 FSR 2018/03 (Barcode: 5905279364158) ~ POLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 Released: 2018 This is the second album by the Polish Improvised Music duo comprising of violinist Patryk ZakrockiFind albums by this artist and guitarist Marcin OlakFind albums by this artist, expanded to a trio with the participation of the Spanish pianist Agusti FernandezFind albums by this artist. The album presents sixteen, mostly quite short, completely improvised pieces, which are not specifically credited on the album´s cover art and therefore are assumed to be collective compositions. The music is a continuation of the ideas first explored on the previous album, which are an attempt to create what the title precisely describes – Chamber Improvised Music – chamber meaning minimalistic, limited by the scope of instruments and intimate. As such, this music is not very similar to the typical Avant-Garde / Improvised Music outings, which are usually extremely intense and extrovert, with the participants mostly interested in saying as much as possible within the time limitations. This music is much more relaxed, reflexive and modest, based on the intense togetherness and listening to each other by the participating musicians. Fernandez displays a remarkable self control on this album, playing delicately and sparingly, in complete contrast to other recordings he takes part in, where he is usually quite dominant and outright aggressive. His contributions on this album are all tasteful and wonderfully cooperative. Zakrocki and Olak seem to have a symbiotic relationship, which is reflected in their telepathic conversations as a duo. Their non-conformist approach to improvisation is fresh and inspiring. Overall this is a very interesting and rich album, full of exciting moments and relaxed interludes, keeping the listener on his toes for the entire duration. This music is unique and shows a completely different Avant-Garde concept, which allows for calmness and contemplation to replace anger and aggression, which often turns Avant-Garde music into and unlistenable cacophony. This album is highly recommended for Improvised Music connoisseurs, who are a tiny, but highly loyal crowd.

Updated: 02/09/2020Posted: 25/06/2018

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