ImproGraphic at Alchemia (12.09)

Piotr Damasiewicz is a young polish trumpet player whose interest in music is to bring mathemathical methodical approach of some of the modern music toward the unpredictability of free jazz improvisation (for more of that, check his ambitious debut album "Hadrons").

Concert in Alchemia was a part of a short tour with his new quartet starring Gerad Lebik, Jakub Mielcarek and Gabriel Ferrandini, the tour is to result in a cd realese.

The quartet played a focused, restrained set. Damasiewicz squeezed thin, squeeky notes are well balanced by rough and full bodied Lebik's tenor and the rhythm sections provides colour and intensity and dense texture. Ferrandini's playing is like volcano once they get off and there's a chance to see that during a paricularly fiery trio section with rough on the edges and expressive tenor solo. Quartet's blend of more minimalistic, methodical linear improvisation and free-jazz calculus of improbabiltiy is definitely intriguing and rewarding a close attention.

The "surprise" 2nd set though was when the real fun began as guest friends - musicians joined the quartet on stage - Marek Pospieszalski on soprano, Maciej Obara on alto and Paweł Niewiadomski on trombone. Starts innocentyl with freely yet definitely jazzy trumpet - trombone duo that gradually (the bass joins, the drums joins) developed into freewheeling, furious group improvisation with five men strong frontline divided into two sections (alto and soprano on the left, trumpet, bone and tenor on the right) that would counter-point and complement each other until the extreme levels of splendid free-jazz, lava-melting wall-of-sound mayhem are reached. The pieces is divided in half by the bass solo, light and evocative, with the entire group improvising melodically divided into two choirs, developing dialectically another crescendo.

For the 2nd piece Max Mucha steps in on the bass while Obara and Lebik sit out. Two many chapters in this story to tell, Max syncs in immediately with Gabriele for some gripping grooves and his sound is heavy and muscular, there's excitement in the air and in the eyes of the musicians as they joyfully take the ride into sequence of some smoking hot solos (brilliant, lyrical yet intense bass - trumpet duo, Damasiewicz's tone is more loose and more vivid during the expressive flights of the notes). gradually release all the tension (Ferrandini takes off for the middle of the piece which allows the rest to slow down a bit for some carefully woven harmonies). 

I enjoyed the first one and I'm curious how Damasiewicz's ideas will develop in the near future (hope it will transfer well into the recording). But the 2nd set was the real meal of the evening, filled with "hell yeah!" moments.

Imprographic

Piotr Damasiewicz - trumpet

Gerard Lebik - tenor saxophone

Jakum Mielcarek - bass

Gabriel Ferrandini - drums

2nd set guests:

Marek Pospieszalski - soprano sax

Maciej Obara - alto sax

Pawel Niewiadomski - trombone

Max Mucha - bass (2nd piece)

Alchemia. Krakow. 12.09.2012