Some ramblings about the music I love, about the concerts in Krakow or elsewhere I get to witness, about cds I manage to get my hands on and particularly like. Stay tuned.
Jazz Alchemist
VEIN trio are twin
brothers Michael Arbenz (piano), Florian Arbenz (drums) and Thomas
Lahms (bass). You can hear them on their own on the „Porgy &
Bess” (Unit Records 2011) as well as „Live – Lemuria” with
Dave Liebman (Unit Records 2012).
The first cd puts an
original spin on some of the tunes from the Gershwin's famous opera.
„I got plenty o' nuttin'” strides nicely on the fast piano
bass-lines. „I loves you Porgy” is lush and delicate as it's supposed to.
Joachim Mencel is a Krakow based pianists, I remember couple years back he had a very busy concert schedule, fantastic trio but also duo concerts with DJ Krime, I used to get to see him play at least once a month. His music has its melodic charm, his playing was always brilliant while his presence on stage filled the air with passion and positive vibe as he lived and played the music with the entire body, standing, jumping, dancing by the piano (or fender). I consider his cd from the era "Interludium" a true masterpiece (unfortunately it is out of print). Unfortunately, after the death of his bass player, his concerts became rare thing. Which is another reason why I waited so impatiently for this concert.
Joachim Mencel
The trio with Willem von Hombracht and Harry Tanschek was born during summer jazz workshops in Krakow and resulted in cd "Krakovians" (registered 2004, released 2007 by Deo Recordings). The three players clearly share a passion for teaching music and enjoy playing together a lot. Both players in the rhythm section share a handfull of solo spots (Harry Tanschek stole the show with salsa/carribbean percussion fiesta in one piece). However, while they're prove to be very capable musicians, what stands between them and your average solid jazz piano trio is Joachim Mencel and this is is most evident when they're playing his compositions - that's when there's true fire and passion, when Joachim makes his most stunning solo statements, when it seems they can go any direction and that's also the material that pushes the rhythm section beyond the comfort zone, lights up the creative spark and provokes most adventurous passages. Mencel's compositions share unique quality, with clear vocal line, with melody that anchors the piece while allowing for in depth harmonic reconfigurations (in fact "Tu i Teraz (Here and Now)" is also recorded by polish pop/jazz star Anna Maria Jopek). As for the piece from his "Interludium" cd "Ta Góra (That Mountain") - rich and complex, alternating between furious and passionate flamenco-like motive and peaceful passages - I have heard it live at least 10 times, and it never failed to amaze me.
A fine concert to start Jazz Festival Starzy i Młodzi (hope to see you there next week for successive concerts). It was great to see Joachim on stage again after a while and I hope he'll play more frequently again (and maybe finally get to record his old "new" compositions which I record from the concerts).
(Joachim and his trio will be featured extensively on this monday's radio playlist)
Joachim Mencel - piano
Willem von Hombracht - double bass
Harry Tanschek - drums
Festiwal Starzy i Mlodzi czyli Jazz w Krakowie
Akademia Muzyczna. Kraków. 17.04.2012
Achim Kaufmann - piano
Valdi Kolli - bass
Jim Black - drums
Pirouet Records 2011
Regular readers might remember I'm not so keen on piano trio - probably the most classic instrumental outfit in jazz history - used to love it, than used to hate it, now I'm rediscovering this unit and it is thanks to music like this.
The cd starts with otherwordly sounds of bowed plates and harp-like notes of the piano strings. The piece than travels into a post-bop terrirory, with quirky and clever harmonies, chordings and runs intuitively supported by the precise bass work and drum's accents. And this is how this music goes on, suspended between the feeling of freedom and compositional discipline, openminded, highly intelligent and complex yet it manages to create or mantain the sense of natural wilderness, the flow of thought.
It would be great to listen to music without having any kind of expectations. I've recenlty been proven wrong assuming Piec'ART is exclusively a mainstream jazz venue (I guess it's still mostly mainstream but it's a big difference). I recently reviewed inspiring performance by JazzTrio Trabant and Adrian Myhr's coming back to Piec'ART was a big reason that I wanted to be there again. Still, I assumed it could very well be another modern-jazz-post-bop piano trio (something I tend to dislike strongly) but I was proven wrong again. And I love surprises like that.
First good omen was when Vojtech Prochazka, while introducing the band, said that it would be a concert of 'improvised music'. Second good omen happened when instead of taking a seat he bent over the piano looking inside and started playing on piano strings with mallets. In fact it's hard to think about this performance as a piano trio as during the extended improvisation that filled the first set (around 40 minutes) Vojtech barely touches the keyboard, instead he plays on strings with drumsticks, mallets, metal objects, ducktape, bare hands. The piano sounds like harp, toy, marimba, machine .... the spirit of John Cage was definitely somewhere near the place. The trio engages in dialogue that is beyond any genre of music, beyond most traditional views on what is called music actually. Evoking eerie moods with unusual sounds, minimal, barely audible hushes, scraping the strings and drums, bowing the plates. With incredible focus and attention to detail. Abstract yet cohere, going into the rabbit hole, right into the logic of madness, where texture, structure, harmony, note, lenghth, tempo become all non-sense terms.
The entire performance (including the second set improvisation - another 40 minutes) was also absolutely egoless, almost no soloing (in sense of making a single statement that proves the musicall prowess on the instrument) - instead a playing that follows the feeling of the moment, the natural (and irrational) flow of the music, without any clear leading part (or, if anything, one provided more often by the bass, not the piano). All three musicians display considerable skills playing both conventional and (for the most part) unconventional ways. Dark, mysterious, full of rising tension, focused performance demanding a focused listening but absolutely rewarding.
With music as intriguing and deserving as much attention as any, much more popular, names in the field of improvised music it seemed wrong that such concert was appreciated by the audience only slightly larger that the number of the musicians on the stage. I strongly hope those musicians will get the recognition they deserve.
ps 1. After the break Vojtech talked again bit more (although I think the audience present had already understood that) that, nonetheless they're playing in a 'jazz club' their music is not jazz at all and it's much better to call it 'just music', a fitting term indeed.
ps 2. Whilre writing the post I'm listening to the "Amoeba's Dance" cd by this trio and I have to admit I feel bit cheated as it is exactly what I feared the concert would be - a piano trio recording (no extended improvisation, no sonic experiments, no prepared piano). In fact it was called by the group 'their best shot so far at playing jazz music' and while it's not bad at all (brings back some compositions by Herbie Nichols, a great cover of Ornette's "Una Muy Bonita" tune and couple of nice originals) the music is not nearly as compelling, gripping and thrilling as the live performance they've just delivered. Which makes me hope that they will record an improvised session soon.
Because of other obbligations I couldn't arrive at Alchemia around 8 pm to see the whole concert, but as soon as I was free I run to the place hoping to catch at least the final moments of the evening. I consulted the timetable afterwards and it turned out I was just a couple minutes late for the 2nd set, and was immediately surprised - as I could hear clearly (however unnaturally high screaming it was) sound of a saxophone. And surprise was even greater when I saw it was Keir Neuringer, whom I praised recently for his playing with Rafal Mazur (here).
I haven't took any notes so here's just some quick summary before I forget what I wanted to write:
The 2nd set consisted of two extended improvisation, and it was a great display of powef of communication - the interplay between the trio players is clear, their synergy almost visible, but to add one completely unknown element to this mixture and mantain the ability of such drammatic narration is absolutely stunning. The quartet, with a very much ensemble and democratic playing, would move through dark and eerie landscapes, at ease creating new build-ups and sudden collapses. Within a limited frame of notes that would resonance forever they were able to create feeling of space that is both open and frightening. There were some wild and raw energy exchanges, other moments would remind of Cage's piano interludes fragile, beauty (repetitive phrases on prepared piano), most of the time they'd stay somewhere in the no man's land, those mysterious moments in which you know that the storm is coming, when the tension underlying the playing is much more powerfull device of expression than the storm itself. As if they were following Alfred Hitchcock's recipes for suspense.
The great news is that the 2nd set was recorded. Can't wait to hear it again. Dark, gripping, powerful stuff.
RED trio
Rodrigo Pinheiro - piano
Hernani Faustino - double bass
Gabriel Ferrandini - drums
guest:
Keir Neuringer - alto saxophone (2nd set only, which incidentally was the only one I could have see)
I'll start by sharing a short story, not of music itself, but of my perception of music.
When I started listening to jazz (not so long time ago) piano trios used to be mine favourite. I would listen to as much as I could get my hands on, and marvel at the pianist ability, speed, excellent technique. This playing, while great, would most often resolve around the central figure of solo player on piano, and backing rhythm section. After my ears and brain were introduced to freeer kind of jazz, piano trio format somehow began to represent in my mind the most mainstream instrumental setting, that doesn't allow musicians the freedom I want to them to have, that limits most strictly the music in terms of harmony, that allows only chromatic scale sounds, that executes most formally the soloist-rhythm section divison (piano trio would be opposed to in this scheme by pianoless trios that represents the most important vehicle for free music). I stopped listening to trios, finding most of the releases mere copies of old masters like Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans - never surprising (not concerning a particular solo or piece but the general format), never innovative, quite often provoking 'booooring' and 'that was played a million times already' yawns.
Fortunately some fairly recent piano trio releases ("Farmers By Nature" with Craig Taborn and "More is Less" with Michael Wintsch come to my mind first) made my reevaluate my position on piano trios showing clearly that it is still possible to create in this format music that is fresh, innovative, immaginative, surprising. That there are still new stories to tell and new ways to tell them. So, while I'm always bit suspicious and cautious when it's about piano trio, I slowly get to appreciate this format again.
Although in case of this trio there was no actuall risk-taking involved (so maybe the whole introduction is a bit pointless) since I had both the pleasure of seeing this band live once (2009 Autumn Jazz Festival in Krakow) as listening to their first release ("Aurora" - Maya Recordings 2005).
I don't think it's a coincidence that the album shares its title with a composition Bill Evans used to play. While Augusti does create some abstract labirynths in some of the improvised parts, it's surprising how lyrical and touching he's playing can be. Barry adds some beautifull tones to the whole palette, definitely putting to use the teachings of classical music he's playing now a lot (some of the compositions also, I would say, hint towards those inspirations, like "Zahori'", check also the bass line in this piece), he's control of pitch, clarity of phrasing is one to admire (as I did a lot this year). Ramon gives You light touches, lot of texture, delicate, very nuanced and spare playing (mallets on toms, soft hits on plates, hand-played percussion).
On "Morning Glory" You'll find 6 compositions (all Augusti) interlayered with 6 group improvisations, which gives it nice balance to start with. This is not fire music You could expect from those musicians, although it's not exactly ballad playing either. Instead You get music that transcends many confines. Some parts of group-credited pieces present playing that is so united it is hard to believe they were not composed ("The Magical Chorus"). Compositions, on the other hand, leave enough space for group-improvisation that would be completely off on main(stream) lands but is so much in place when at open sea. It is subtle and gentle without being soft, It is lyrical and passionate without being cheap. It is mysterious and indirect without being hermetic and inaccessible. Celebral but not distant. Exuberant and modest. Peaceful and meditative without loosing a darker and more dramatic, improvisational claw ("Perpetuum Mobile", "Benito (Jordi Benito in absentia)").
The melodies are simply beautiful, stunning. The interplay so deep and intimate, the harmonies and textures rich. And music so full of emotions, so deeply felt that it goes straight to your soul and grabs You by Your heart (and I could go on with the praisies for a long time). Some say that the hardest thing to play are ballads, and It is indeed rare to find this kind of playing. Where slow tempos and lyricism don't make You yawn and lull away but dream awake.
To make the release even better there is a bonus free disc included - "Live in New York" that documents concert versions of some of the compositions that were originally played on the trio's first release "Aurora" (4 pieces by Augusti, and my beloved, haunting "Odyssey" by Barry Guy), a traditional theme ("No Ni No' ") arranged by Augusti and a hand-breaking tempo read of "Rounds" by Marillyn Crispell (important collaborator of Barry in the past, the one who named Augusti her successor in Barry Guy New Orchestra). As musicians search for new layers of emotional depth and levels of intimiacy playing, You will find as much (if not more) to appreciate on this bonus disc as on the main one, which makes this release a double treat success. Even if You don't like piano trios as much as me, You owe it to yourself to give this one a try.
ps. This music is to dream awake, so it's best served in the evening :)
ps2. You can find on YouTube great quality videos from concert in Zurich from 2007, with some of the pieces coming from "Aurora" that are also on the "Live in New York" bonus cd in this release.
