Lama: Oneiros

Lama (trio)

Oneiros (Clean Feed; 2011)

Susana Santos Silva (trumpet, electronics)

Goncalo Almeida (bass, electronics)

Greg Smith (drums)

Susana Santos Silva has teamed up with fellow Portuguese bassist, Goncalo Almeida and Canadian drummer Greg Smith for Lama. This trio has seemingly conjured up one of the most superb debuts, Oneiros, in the last few months. Silva shows really diversity during this session which is more experimental and ethereal in parts.

"Alguidar" opens with a rousing Latin march beat from Smith which moves quickly into some breathy atmospheric work from Silva before the trio settle into calm melody which later sees some exchanges between Almeida and Silva. The piece then settles gently with crackles, pops and jagged notes into its conclusion.

"Overture for Penguins" starts off like something off an early Chris & Cosey album moving through a number of changes and tempos. All this while each musician demonstrates a rich and highly versatile sense of improvisation. Almeida delivers a lovely solo shortly before the end that is soft yet penetrating.

The melodic and touching qualities of Silva's playing and the calm pacing present by Almeida create an uplifting atmosphere around "Melodia Minuscula" that is refreshing as it is enveloping. There are moments where you could mistake this trio for John Zorn's Masada. The well crafted "The Chimpanzee Who Told" has an fast reverberating Eastern quality to that feels likes a bridge between the musical aesthetics. The piece builds quickly and then plummets into a kind of joyous romp that allows Greg Smith to have a great solo opportunity flying the group outward.

"Tarantino" is the most daring piece on Oneiros. Filled with electronics and muted effects its a great display of the diversity of this trio. Silva's trumpet is high in the mix giving a sense of rising climax to the conclusion of really wonderful journey. More seated in the drone sounds of indie rock than experimental jazz but highly effective indeed.

I've had Oneiros on sort of a revolving spin in my CD player for the last month. This combined with Santos Silva's debut has been a fantastic revelation for me. Both dense, diverse and exploring the unexpected. Oneiros is filled with ideas that will want you having Lama record together again and again on a regular basis. Let's hope so. I plead them. Highly Recommended!

Susana Santos Silva: Devil's Dress

Susana Santos Silva (trumpet)

Devils Dress (TOAP Records; 2011)

Ze Pedro Coelho (sax)

Andre Fernades (guitar)

Demain Cabaud (bass)

Marcos Cavaleiro (drums)

There's always that moment; whether it comes right out front or at the end of an album, when you realize you've just been blown away by some talented shit. That's the moment I had after being pierced by Susana Santos Silva and her hour long epic debut, Devil's Dress.

Susana Santos Silva is a young talent but deep, bold lyricism can match many of her more experienced contemporaries. "Devil's Dress" opens with a number of fearless performances by each member, notably Coelho and Silva who play off each other superbly. Fernades' guitar provides the raw energy and improvised tones these well composed pieces need, keeping you glued to each moving note. "Devil's Dress" combines brash, abstract indie rock themes with well balanced jazz tonalities into a lovely and harmonic siren call. The rhythm section force the issue here. With Cavaleiro leading the charge with some forceful and crushing cymbals. The piece later dissolves into spacial free forms with ethereal effects from Fernades and soft explorations by Santos Silva. It's a great ride that moves quickly and leaves you only with the memories.

You can feel these friends and bandmates having a great time on "Wishful Thinking." There's a jubilant banter between each musician with exchanges that are both electric and angelic. Santos Silva's tone at times reminded me of past and future (Freddie Hubbard/Arve Henriksen) throughout Devil's Dress but maintaining a modern focus. "Claudia" shows the quintet in a funkier light. The groove is augmented by some neatly placed stop/starts that allow "Claudia" to move from groove-laden to improvised very fluidly. Almost in a Donald Byrd style if you think of it as a fusion era piece.

Susana Santos Silva has created a document that is perfectly well rounded and exciting to listen to from track one to eight. Devil's Dress is diverse and Santos Silva's playing is expressive, clinical and opportunistic. Strongly Recommended.

This would later reveal itself in her next project, Lama...

Sonore: Live At Cafe Oto

Sonore (trio)

Live at Cafe Oto (Trost; 2012)

Peter Brotzmann (tenor, alto sax, clarinet, taragato)
Ken Vandermark (tenor sax, clarinet)
Mats Gustafsson (baritone sax)

When this trio gets together you can always expect high decibels and sonic architecture. Live at Cafe Oto is probably the shorter but most palatable of the four albums this trio has recorded. There's still a lot to digest over the span of four songs  in just under 40 minutes.

Each musician attacks the notes with aggression but also a sense of beauty, as they softly create and destroy patterns. "Fragments For An Endgame" comes swirling down upon you like hail drops through a funnel. The tones are sharp and crisp with spikes that build and build. They hit there peak quickly before descending further into a overpowering arpeggio.  The trio is all the while improvising each note. But these three have played together so often they know each other movements and changes down to a tie.

"Le Chien Perdu" see Brotzmann rip through the scales at will. The piece has a perfect balance between Brotzmann's howls and improvised segues accompanied by subtle tones of Vandermark and Gustafsson around the edges. "Oto" is just sheer fire in the well. The trio let loose a wall of sound but shift effortless back and forth between blistering chords changes and gentle swathes of harmonics. Only to end with a resounding joyful call to arms, New Orleans style.

Live At Cafe Oto is powerful stuff and by far the best Sonore record to date. Highly Recommend.

Outhouse: Straw, Sticks + Bricks

Outhouse (quartet)

Straws, Sticks + Bricks (Loop/Babel Music; 2011)

Robin Fincker (sax, clarinet)

Tom Challenger (sax)

Johnny Brierley (bass)

Dave Smith (drums)

Hilmar Jensson (guitar)

On their third outing, Outhouse seem to be completely focused and created a solid and highly auspicious album with Straw, Sticks + Bricks. It's big, loud, scratchy and sometimes brooding. But at it's center, Outhouse have made another statement as to why they are becoming one of the most exciting British bands on the scene.

At times you might think Outhouse were actually part of the Chicago scene. The set of horns, bass and drums provides a unique, bold and cacophonous quality that is sometimes associated with the aforementioned scene. But once you get into the heart of pieces like the opener, "Kitchen In The Middle" you realize this quartet have different intent altogether. I got the feeling I should be reading a creepy version of Jack and the Beanstalk. The succinct one beat of the drum kit and sax helped me tap out "fe fi fo fom." Pretty funny for me. You may not notice this. The addition of Hilmar Jensson on guitar pulls out a grit that was always there on previous Outhouse's records but is more crystallized on Straws, Sticks + Bricks.

"Fool" builds slowly and compounds a number of tones and rhythms. Finker and Challenger worked brilliantly off each other while Brierley and Smith add perfect time and pace. Jensson's guitar cuts across the patterns at just the acute time. "Fool" works it way to a quiet conclusion in its last two minutes. Steady and unwavering. A number of disjointed and aggressive emotions balance neatly like Kurt Rosenwinkel mixing it up with John Zorn and Ken Vandermark. Great work.

"Alignment," more of a ballad, opens with a gentle but steady beat from Smith before the rest of the group join in to provide a calm hypnotic aesthetic. The vibe was reminiscent of Aram Shelton's recent work. This is exploratory and emotional with deep revolving effects. "Long Notes" led by Smith's rolling patterns, some soft plucking from Brierley and some intersecting notes from the rest of the group create an intense, expressionist closing number but still manages to leave the listener hypnotized by Outhouse's ability to craft some really evocative notes.

Unlike a number of their compatriots, Outhouse don't tend to go for the thundering beat. They are an investigative quartet that seems to be searching for next process in the rhythm. This is a journey we at JazzWrap are always willing to go on. The British scene is definitely rising. And with Straw, Sticks + Bricks, Outhouse are continuing to stay right up there with Acoustic Ladyland/Polar Bear, Neil Cowley, et al. Brilliant stuff.