Record Reviews

ALBERT CIRERA I KAMARILLA ~ AQUELLA COSA UNDERPOOL 057 ~ SPAIN ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2017 - 2021 Released: 2022 This is an album by Spanish Jazz saxophonist / composer Albert CireraFind albums by this artist, one of the most active and prolific Jazz musicians originating from the Iberian Peninsula, who shares his time between Barcelona and Lisbon. This album was recorded with the KamarillaFind albums by this artist ensemble, which includes saxophonist Marcel·li BayerFind albums by this artist, trombonist Vincent PerezFind albums by this artist, trumpeters Ivan GonzalesFind albums by this artist or Pol PadrosFind albums by this artist, bass guitarist Martin LeitonFind albums by this artist and drummer Ramon PratsFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven tracks and two bonus tracks, one of which recorded live in 2017, all composed by the leader. It is clearly evident that the Iberian Peninsula developed in the last decade or so as a superb source of modern Jazz and Improvised Music, producing impressive number of beautiful and highly interesting recordings. This album was released on the excellent, Barcelona based, UnderpoolFind albums on this label label, which is also a recording studio. The music is a fantastic amalgam of composed and improvised music, blended together and brilliantly performed by the participating musicians. Constantly changing tempi and themes, the music flows briskly, keeping the listeners in constant state of tension and anticipation, as only best music can. Although there is plenty of extensive improvising, the music never loses focus and is beautifully coherent and engaging. The ensemble, with four brass instruments, is able to create a myriad of combinations and lineups, which is constantly shifting. The rhythm section holds everything together at all times, and the ensemble sound is nothing less than spectacular. Overall, this is an incredible piece of music, which might surprise many listeners not familiar with the Iberian Peninsula scene. This album, as well as many other releases on the Underpool label, are all worth being discovered. For modern Jazz lovers with a strong free improvised seasoning, this album is a revelation and definitely worth your attention and is wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 31/10/2022Posted: 29/10/2022

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CLAMAN / STRYCHARSKI / CHOJNACKI / PRATS ~ QUARTETT NON LOCALITY MULTIKULTI MPSMT 015 (Barcode: 5903068683336) ~ SPAIN ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2018 Released: 2019 This is an album by international Improvising Music ensemble Quartett Non LocalityFind albums by this artist consisting of New Zealand (resident in Barcelona) violinist Sarah ClamanFind albums by this artist, Polish flautist Dominik StrycharskiFind albums by this artist and accordionist Zbigniew ChojnackiFind albums by this artist and Catalan drummer Ramon PratsFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven improvised pieces not attributed to specific composers. The album is a part of the "Spontaneous Music Tribune Series" dedicated to Iberian Free Improvised Music, curated by my friend and colleague Maciej LewensteinFind albums by this artist, who lives in Barcelona since many years and who is a passionate music lover in parallel to his scientific career. The music is a typical Improvised Music experience, which sadly suffers from the characteristic recorded Improvised Music malady, which haunts most albums of the genre. This music might have been highly interesting for the musicians to play, and perhaps might have been a fascinating live experience, but is much less interesting to listen to at home from a record and is unable, at least to me, to recreate that potential excitement, closed in a recorded time capsule. Sadly since making a recording and releasing albums have become accessible and inexpensive in the last two decades, there is a deluge of Improvised Music albums on the market, which only under rare circumstances make a lasting statement and deserve repeated listening. Strycharski and Chojnacki are both formidable musicians and have already created numerous excellent recordings, but sadly on this album one can hardly find significant evidence of their individual abilities. Although I painstakingly listened to this music, enjoying some fragments, I don´t envisage myself doing it again. Overall this is perhaps of interest to the hardened Improvised Music enthusiasts, who are deeply enthralled by the intricacies of the genre, but for listeners beyond that intimate circle it is most probably impenetrable.

Updated: 12/01/2020Posted: 09/01/2020

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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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