Swiss pianist Nik Bartsch and his Ronin ensemble play music hard to be compared with anything else I know. The fact that the band appeared under ECM label makes things even more enigmatic. Being known mostly responsible for projects more nostalgic and lyric. But there is something in early label reputation which might explain Manfred Eicher’s choice. If you think about an emotional intensity and abandon of Jarret’s famous Koln Concert – it may be a key.

In fact compositions are very trance but it is the only link to a mentioned concert ,if even that. This music can hardly be called spontaneous. It appears as a full filled perfect interaction between every member of the band. And it definitely is written and hackneyed very well ,but on the other hand possible to hear expression and general enjoyment of being a part of the project is easy to spot. Titles are called Modules. They say nothing to help understand this concept. They are some numbers matched to them. But again ,they look random and useless.

Quintet draws handfuls from minimal music achievement. There is not that much jazzy things. Compositions are highly sequential ,built on repetitive motives blended with micro tonal sounds coming out of prepared piano – one more Cage-y ?;) idea. Percussion brakes are usually breaking the momentum build up and make a room for brass interludes. Rhythm could be called rather funky. Or at least ethnic due to poly-rhythmic structure and use many of different sort of percussion instruments, which remain hard to be recognised in the mix.

But Module 31 for example ,to brake the rules starts with melodic motive which makes strong connotations with French impressionism ,particularly with Eric Satie’s compositions. But it turns into funk’a’delic further trip for a while as well , to come back into the same lines later on ,just in slower motion.

Next Modul ,called 46 ,again starts with Cage like looped sound with an counterpoint piano framework provided ,to match very simple bass line and constitute the structure of the tune.

Funky bass walking seems to be one of the hallmark of this concept too. They set up tempos for ever changing sound wall collectively build by every member of the band.. Have to be said too, that it is pure acoustic project with no looping electronics and any of modern toys. Whole precision context of the music comes strictly out of the musician’s skills.

Regarding piano ,which is recorded incredibly well, there are many different sound patterns coming out ,which makes me concern about the number of preparations used . Some are for instance more sonorous than the other. Twinning greatly with sax and bass clarinet.

For sure conscious choice of the composer to fulfil sonic assumptions. To sum up – it’s a solid dose of fantastic sound worth the highest recommendation. Plus excellent recording as the cherry on top of the cake.

ECM PR: Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin: Holon (ECM 2049)

I would not be myself if I did not mention some Jazz from Poland on this first occasion. I‘d like to make it my hallmark, due to both ,my knowledge about Polish Scene and its incredible quality ,which truly deserves wider recognition. This CD is very special for many reasons.

As a live recording, a part of seven happening performances realised on main streets of Gdansk – Mikolaj’s  native city, it poses some unusual qualities ,mixing surrounding sonic environment to the complexity of project. But also changing improvised parts of music according to what’s happening in this landscape and creating on the same hand completely new qualities. Trzaska is playing on his sax and bass clarinet in his usual improvising style ,based on the Ayler /Coleman core inspiration and accompanying him in this project rhythmic section – Oles Brothers ( Marcin – Bass ,Bartek – Drums) ,Young Lyons already at that time – now truly well recognised and completely cut diamonds.

The music presented here ,except Coleman’s Lonely Woman is all written by trio itself. Trio which became further few years well known as O.T.O ( Oles-Trzaska-Oles). To say that once and not get back to it in the future: All Kilogram Records issues are completely finished masterpieces ,starting from being completely controlled by artist/label owner recording techniques to final finishing touches regarding publishing cover shape and complexity of graphic design. Nuff Said. Now the Music.

Opening Long Coast is an intro mixing street sounds with the bell from a church on the Mariacka Street all recorded as a one take in the same time. On that bit percussion shimmering with deep and reflective clarinet steps becomes Pigeon By Night with no brake. Oles Twins as a section posses a unique appearance of being like a single organism. Their rhythmical anastomosis has truly unprecedented quality. It’s more biologic than fusion in pure musical meaning. Piece possessing quality of the folk tune runs beautifully to the ending double bass outro.

The Mottlau Heart  ,tribute to picturesque Danzigen river spins around lazily driven by partially set up oriental rhythm ,cut out by pulsing walking on the bass and clarinet melody. Like in the best jazz tradition ,that one is build as well on a folk theme explored in repetitions of the melody and changes of speed showing true virtuosity of players.

Following Hanza Soul, is above all the show of Bartek’s incredible understanding of building tension of the piece. His talent to support creative brass improvisation by an ability to dose just enough notes to make steps for leader’s climbs, to accent collective achievement without a smallest trace of his own shine. It’s rare and hard to find quality.

Coming after  Machandel & Dagoma  is the most melodic piece on the disc. Gentle sax vocals keep reminding me deeply the rough beauty of Nordic chants , teamed with as always perfect section support. Kill still Good Night is the next of many Trzaska’s pugnacious motifs I love so much. They are brilliantly clever. Showing artists tremendous sense of humour spelled into short words, sometimes just few sounds. Phrases are followed closely by brothers. They share a lot of this qualities themselves and mutual understanding and a joy of playing together is “visible” all the time.

There is no sound too difficult to cut off. And whatever it is it never stops them from looking for newer and newer solutions to say the same story in different notes. Closing Coleman’s standard is heart-rending lament showing both : virtuosity of the composer and his followers. There is many ways to tell the Truth ,but just a few did it in the way that it had been noticed. This is the one of these very few sonic treasures.

SOUND QUALITY :

Cd 1 Once upon a Time in Argentina (rec.2008)

As I already mentioned in opening review this wonderful Haslam’s Argentinean Affair it will be good to jump now into the latest harvest from this astonishing series. Two discs set contains two separate sessions. 1^st takes title straight from the cover and is using George own words “ journey from memories and experience”. He invited 3 of his finest collaborators for this set: 2 percussionists ,both coming from very different background. “Juan Carlos Martello, a free drummer but very Argentine and the great folkloric drummer Jorge Savelon ,together with Ruben Ferrero ,a master musician with whom I have worked over 20 years on piano, pianica, percussion and voice”. It become obvious at that point that this collective know each other over two decades and playing together is just as flawless as a flight. Over 40 minutes of music had been recorded here as one go and it appears on the discs exactly as it had been performed. Split to 12 tracks just for the listener convenience. “ To ask for a 2^nd take would have been impossible (but could be interesting).”says George.

Opening Departure is a flood of percussion dust fall around refreshing like long awaited summer rain. It sets up the mood immediately, giving this feeling of naturalness coming out from the tropical forest ,with all this rhythmic artefacts which are constantly surrounding us ,but we remain unaware unless somebody point it. Martello’s response keeps nice balance between freedom of choice from endless free patterns and simple natural complexity. Piano’s sparkling cross-walk sets up border lines for this conversation together with dominate voice coming out of the baritone horn’s bell. Second track (Pianica) intro takes directly from opening one’s outro. George’s pianica theme keeps nice and simple folkloric melody going , gently sliced into few chorales occasionally , but immediately repetitively brought back to the line. Percussion accompaniment complains tune beautifully.

Following Gauchos is a rise of drumming introducing upcoming Tutti momentum with voices in background clearly showing the joy of playing together.

When it comes to Kalimba (4^th track) ,it’s gentle walk appears almost like another processional dust against George’s tarogato howl. When piano replaces it substance becomes even more condense ,but there is still enough room left for other voices to join.

Cutting out brings us to Camivalita interlude. Set up purely on rhythmic dialogue it has something organic and tribal in it, giving hard to describe feeling of free space .

Again ,from piano chord is starts as a Chacarera. Here, rising plucking walking with choral progressions thickening quicker than following rhythm, start to dance you gently. Ten step dance has clear melodic line. It doesn’t strike like a Tango ,but it has it’s own claw. Carnival ,coming after is where drummers still the show. Their rhythmic conversation is like weaving.

They supply the canvas on which George’s baritone keeps painting wonderful phrases with sweeping melodic lines (Baritone). In the minor palette and nostalgic contour ,the melody twists like King Cobra to turn at the end into long, rough, Coltrane like short blown ,but intensive words. What comes next is closing lovely solo which opens a room for a next chapter titled Voices. Onomatopoeic cross-walk of rhythms and voices merged together. Next departure called Arrival appears as a dialogue of sax and pianica or piano. Improvisation is quick and intense here and a class of all musicians involved is obvious here. But percussionists job, wrapping around the main subject is simply mind-blowing. Again with sparkling piano walk and raising intensity of rhythmic palette the Fireworks arrives, delivered by gentle hits of crush cymbals and driving us till the end of Coda – just a manifest of mutual joy, smiles and satisfaction after this wonderful session.

Cd 2 The Walter Thiers Memorial Saxophone Quartet (rec.2010)

This special project is Haslam’s tribute to Walter Thiers ,a central figure on Argentine jazz scene and main animator of festival events for 40 years as we read at linear notes. Something that not most of us is even aware of. Hence even more important, but behind that dedication ,what counts most is the music. And this is just brilliant. True rarity for saxophone quartet enthusiasts. George himself ,a quarter of famous British Saxophone Quartet join forces with others – Pablo Ledesma on soprano, Sergio Paolucci on alto and Daniel Harari on tenor.

All gentlemen definitely are having a deep reason to remind Walter’s memory as program they recorded together clearly shows. An opening Walter , a simple tribute starts as a fanfare of sax voices which keep passing phrase from one to another ,then twisting it and converting and going through available modulations to get the same pure separate deep four bells choral ,clearly showing beauty of simplicity of the voices joined together. Roswell Rudd’s hymn All Nights Soul ,arranged for quartet by Ladesma gains new quality from that and becomes more nostalgic that trombone played lines only. Following Devocion Sereno has beautiful and full of melancholy melody. An improvisation is based on North India Todi Raga as description explains. Following hymn ( Himno #1 ) is another Ladesma’s arrangement and as one done to Rudd’s theme, posses the same deposit of musing which comes out from artfully written score. Song has antiphonal character, where two voices are keeping melody and dialoguing with singular phrases supplied by separate saxophone. This arrangement reminds me famous Moondog’s Birds Lament. In the next tune, early Haslam’s composition called Albert appears. This dedication is obvious and needs no explain. Chorales are beautifully played and gentle articulations underline fragile phrase like a jewel in crown. Cancion Sin Melodia ,another by Ladesma ,as per title is a song by tenor played on the melody created by remaining voices blend together and accompanying the leading one. As the rest on that session they are played with fantastic subcutaneous communication and a rare feeling of freedom. St. James Infirmary Vidala is based on  traditional tune arranged by George on that occasion and certainly taking a long departure from most famous Satchmo’s tune originally recorded in 1928.. It brings the same reverie back which appears across whole session and  intentionally brings  note of sorrow to crown the sax lamentation. Closing Tinto Dreams starts from dense and tangled cacophonous motive which slowly but firmly develop melody. From overblown howls and sparkling vibratos appears a figure which builds up into the melody passed by voices to gently slow down and disappear.

It is not just a symbolic final note ,but also fanatically sensitive and imaginative closing to all that freedom given to performers. I love this session a lot as it is rarely lyrical in musical meaning. Very often sax projects like that turn into pure maths. The form build up figures purely involving imagination and listener’s sense of three dimensionality. I am not saying that this one is flat ,as it is not. It just lacks this abstract dimension and remains in a traditional sonorous domain creating a nice arch between the church choir music and melodic nature of the sax voice. With its formal set up it becomes sort of Requiem ,if you know what I mean. Not being familiar with instrumentalists other projects ,except those few issued on SLAM , I have this rare comfort to adore music as it is without doing any comparisons.

This got my highest recommendations for both a concept and the recording quality.

“ONCE UPON A TIME IN ARGENTINA”

The music is a continuous improvised suite of 42 minutes.

Recorded 18 October, 2008 at Estudio Sadem, Buenos Aires.

Recording engineer Adrián Odriozola.

– Juan Carlos Martello, drum kit Jorge Savelon, percussion, Ruben Ferrero, piano, pianica, percussion and voice, George Haslam baritone sax, tarogato.

“The Walter Thiers Memorial Saxophone Quartet”.

1 WALTER (HASLAM) 3:53

2 ALL NIGHT SOUL (ROSWELL RUDD) 1:35

3 DEVOCIÓN SERENO (HASLAM) 4:07

4 HIMNO#1 (LEDESMA) 4:51

5 ALBERT (HASLAM) 4:32

6 CANCION SIN MELODIA (LEDESMA) 2:23

7 ST JAMES INFIRMARY VIDALA TRAD.ARR (HASLAM) 6:22

8 TINTO DREAMS (HASLAM) 2:52

Recorded 17 February, 2010 at La Montana Records, Buenos Aires.

Recording engineer Néstor Diaz.

The Walter Thiers Memorial Saxophone Quartet. –

Pablo Ledesma soprano,

Sergio Paolucci alto,

Daniel Harari tenor

and

George Haslam baritone