Jakob Davidsen: Kammerat Orkester

Jakob Davidsen (piano)

Kammerat Orkester (Gateway Music; 2011)

Peter Fuglsang (clarinet)

Jakob Munck (trumpet, tuba, trombone)

Lars Andreas Haug (tuba)

John Edhe (cello)

Jakob Davidsen has been on the Danish scene for a long time now. It's a shame that more people internationally haven't had a chance to experience this highly inventive and expressionist composer and pianist. I personally have only just discovered him in the last few months and I have been immensely impressed.

His latest, Kammerat Orkester (Gateway Music) is an buoyant mixture of complex melodies and biting humor that reminded me of some of the larger scale Charles Mingus pieces. But as you take the long journey through this session you realize this is a composer and performer on the upswing with a lot to say.

The massive suite, "Le Roi et Le Mendiant I-IV" burst with vivid textures and complexities that move fluidly back and forth. Davidsen allows the musicians a great deal of freedom to mingle and converse while he lays out the path for which they follow close but with a great deal of expression. This is a beautiful piece that is both chamber music and improvised jazz. In the second movement, Davidsen's playing moves from gentle and passion to fierce and explosive with ease. In the third movement Davidsen gives more space to Fuglsang and Edhe to create a melodic calm before it holds you through to the blistering and frenetic conclusion of the fourth movement in which the quintet are almost ragtime in nature but abstract in thought. Great stuff.

The hauntingly beautiful waltz, "Valse Bleue Et Verte" is led by the soft keys of Davidsen and some touchingly deep work by Haug. Edhe's cello just underneath the melody makes for a romantic setting and adds emotion to the ending movements.

The two closing numbers "Silvo Martinello" and "Jeg Holder Af Hverdagen" have a more experimental nature about them. Davidsen's direction to the group seems to be "find your own path and make it exciting." The quintet do this superbly. There are moments of reflection midway through "Silvo Martinello," led by an heartfelt performances by Munck, Haug and Edhe. This is topped off by some blissful yet quiet touches by Davidsen. "Jeg Holder Af Hverdagen" feels like a Sylvie Courvoisier/Mark Feldman piece in its minimalistic outset and seems to be a perfect way to close out this adventure. Lots of quiet chords and space that eventually pulsates to black.

Kammerat Orkester may not be the first stop for most newcomers to Jakob Davidsen but it is definitely the most adventurous of his outings. There are complex themes and melodies wrapped around some sublime performances. Kammerat Orkester is forward thinking music from a growing talent that deserve much wider recognition. A must listen.

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.