Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Ada Rave Cuartet: La Continuidad

Ada Rave Cuarteto (group)
La Continuidad (Pan Y Rosas Discos; 2011)
Ada Rave (sax)
Wenchi Lazo (guitars)
Martin de Lassaletta (bass)
Martin Lopez Grande (drums)

Argentine, Ada Rave, has produced an exciting and enterprising debut with La Continuidad (Pan Y Rosas Discos). A bright collection of avant garde/free jazz and bop that is reminiscent to Anthony Braxton, Ornette Coleman and even a little bit John Zorn. For a modern correlation, you might imagine is a calmer, Ingrid Laubrock. Ada delivers a maximum punch on sax but she also possess a nice shifting array of themes with her quartet's debut.

"Jardin Chino" lights sparks in every direction. Short, crisp improvised notes from Rave and Lazo are augmented by quiet, searching notes by Grande and de Lassaletta. It almost feels like I was sitting in a club in Chicago listening to one of the various Ken Vandermark outfits. "Balia Con Monk" is an delicious little nod to the legendary pianist. Rave delivers with some superb playing that really does feel like you are experiencing Monk's piano instead of the power melody of a saxophone. It's odd but works perfectly.

Rave is bold and direct. "El Modo y la Etica Braxtono" illustrates a brave composers/improviser utilizing expression, melody and freedom for her bandmates to move and create at their own pace. Grande and de Lassaletta shine with counterpoints that are both simpatico and discordant. Lazo's performance here lies somewhere between Arto Lindsay and Marc Riot. All around killer expressionism.

"Out To Lunch" has a more disjointed more slightly introspective quality to it that becomes inviting and unique all at once. Lazo provides a weird presence that gives the piece more originality and not your standard cover version. "Uptopias Humanicas" provides a postmodern stoppage point on this journey that is both free form and inspired bop. Rave mixes Vandermark inspiration with Laubrock aggression and it's a sonic harmony that concludes the album with beauty.
La Continuidad is an impressive debut from the wildly talented Ada Rave and her quartet. A brilliant combination of abstract expressionism and fluid modernism. Excellent. 

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