Unknowable

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Nowy Rok wystartował z kopyta! RareNoise prezentuje trio w składzie Dave Liebman: tenor, soprano saxophones, flutes, piri, Fender Rhodes, Tatsuya Nakatani: drum kit, gongs, percussion, Adam Rudolph: handrumset, percussion, sintir, mbuti harp, overtone flutes, Fender Rhodes, electronics. Są to muzycy, o których można powiedzieć, że wciąż są chętni przenosić góry, nie są zmanierowani złą sławą improwizatorów, gotowych na każde artystyczne ryzyko.

"The Unknowable/Niepoznawalny" bo taki tytuł nosi ich wspólna płyta przynosi trzynaście improwizowanych utworów, pełnych sonorystycznego wyciszenia, zaszytego podskórnie napięcia i etnicznej duchowości. Umiejętność budowania dramaturgii, snucia niepokoju, to atuty tego nagrania, nie brakuje tu transu, podawanego w sposób nienachalny. Każdy dźwięk płynie tu leniwym nurtem. Minimalistyczna pracy Liebmana, nad wyraz często sięgającego po flet indian północnoamerykańskich, koreański bambusowy obój (Piri), nawet recorder, i mistrzów instrumentów perkusyjnych o najprzeróżniejszym rodowodzie daje metafizyczny efekt.

Płyta Unknowable to "Całkowicie improwizowany program", jak mówi Dave Liebman, jednak każdy utwór poprzedzały długie rozmowy. "To była czysta intuicja" - mówi Adam Rudolph. "Każdy z nas miał swoje pomysły na to, jak podejść do każdej kompozycji, wszyscy rozumieliśmy, jak improwizować formę, która sama w sobie jest trudna do zagrania, nawet muzycy, którzy improwizują wewnątrz określonej struktury mają często problem z wyjściem poza nią, dlatego nasza pracę nad albumem nazywam spontanicznym aktem" - mówi Dave Liebman. Rudolph woli zamiast tego nazywać efekt ich pracy "improwizacją". Według Liebmana "To było całkowicie spontaniczne wydarzenie, z instrumentami wybranymi spontanicznie, oczywiście z pewnymi założeniami, które czynią muzykę znaczącą." Trio jest strukturalnie demokratyczne, poziom synergii wysoki, a współpraca nienaganna.
autor: Mateusz Krępski
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Editor's info:
The Unknowable is a completely improvised, spontaneous group-composed body of music. Dave Liebman, whose legendary, more than fifty year-long, career has seen him work with Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, John Scofield, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Bob Moses and Richie Beirach, collaborates here with Adam Rudolph, himself one of the deepest percussionists of the last half century, whose collaborations encompass Don Cherry, Pharaoh Sanders, Bill Laswell, Herbie Hancock, Omar Sosa and several members of the AACM, and with Japan-born percussionist and sound innovator Tatsuya Nakatani.

The result of this extraordinary meeting of the minds is music that stems from the worlds of free and spiritual jazz, yet goes beyond, It is incredibly open, has no north, south, east and west, it is simultaneously music of all humanity and of the cosmos.

jazztrail.net
Prolific saxophonist/bandleader Dave Liebman, a living jazz legend and one of the most influential musicians and educators of our times, joins an imaginative duo of percussionists, Tatsuya Nakatani and Adam Rudolph. Together, they create a variety of spontaneous conversations where the reaction to stimulus is a must. Hence, communication plays an essential role throughout The Unknowable, the result of their experimental meeting.

The first and last tracks on the album are static and share the same title, “Benediction”. Both versions comprise uncanny electronics and a saxophone story recited over drones and additional atmospheric noises, yet, the opening variant adds far more percussive elements to the intriguing scenario. By the way, it was Rudolph who came up with the track titles in a post-recording phase.

“The Simple Truth” thrives with hand drumming forays, diverse metal collisions, and Liebman’s cartoonish sketches formed with brief stabs of notes on soprano. He often centers his playing in the rhythmic axis, but some melodic incursions are also discernible.

Echoing brisk phrases through a delay effect and resorting to heavy electronic manipulation, the title track is filled with tremors and high-pitched clamors let loose by Liebman’s spiraling soprano. While the posture is active here, it changes to passive on the following piece, “Skyway Dream”, where the rhythm is thoroughly marked and the flute notes hang in the air.

Hand drums and metal percussion become the dominant elements on “Transmutations”, which includes a panoply of grating sounds, clashes, and creaks. It ends up in a sort of African exultation that also can be felt on “Present Time”, although the pulse here almost touches the Brazilian samba. Commanding the tenor with an impressive sense of liberty, Liebman embarks on a more familiar language, inclining his sayings toward bebop zones. Yet, the crashingly noisy assaults in the background remain active until the end.

The saxophonist’s disposition shifts again on “Premonition”, which serves as a vehicle for his timbral explorations and extended techniques. This urgency of speech combined with fragmented rhythms takes us to free jazz territory.

Flirtations with non-Western music translate into a pair of nomadic pieces, “The Turning” and “Distant Twilight”. With self-restraint, the trio resorts to meditative phrases taken from exotic scales as well as simple yet catchy grooves meticulously designed by sintir or thumb piano.

Both Liebman and Rudolph play the Fender Rhodes in one tune each, searching for the enigmatic and the atmospheric. “Cosmogram”, unpleasantly piercing at first, is a good example of how a musical piece can sound simultaneously acrid and dulcet.

The record sounds quite distinctive from what Liebman has done before and defies any categorization beyond the experimental. Abstraction they fear not, and you’ll find the adventurous threesome attempting to squeeze their individual sounds into a compact, organic whole. In some ways, they succeed.
by FILIPE FREITAS

avantscena.wordpress.com
“Unknowable” was released on February 23, 2018 by “Rare Noise Records”. Album was recorded by three jazz masters – Dave Liebman (flute, saxophone), Adam Rudolph (percussion, drums) and Tatsuya Nakatani (percussion). These three interesting and experienced jazz masters, sound artists, composers and experimenters have original and interesting playing style. Different ideas and basic elements of experimental jazz, creative, free-jazz, bebop, post-bop, hard-bop and other jazz styles are gently combined together in one place. Dave Liebman playing style is expressive, passionate and active – it’s based on contrasts, virtuosic solos, colorful and vivacious passages, outstanding and fascinating blow outs, soft, gorgeous and subtle flute solos and many other music elements. The two percussionists – Adam Rudolph and Tatsuya Nakatani – had been improvising together many times before as a duet, and also with other famous jazz masters. Their duos always have effective, interesting and glamorous sound. Japan music intonations, rhythms, harmonies, melodic intonations and other elements are gently combined together with strict European music structure, various rhythmic formulas, free improvisations and many other musical language elements. The improvisations by these three musicians always have vivacious, vivid and expressive sound.

The compositions of “Unknowable” are based on synthesis between various music styles. The traditions of European and Japan avant-garde jazz, experimental music, field recordings, sound experiments are synthesized together with modern jazz styles. Musicians are experimenting in all ways of musical language – they search for new timbres, sounds and noises. Trying out of new and innovative playing techniques, musical expressions and expressing different moods also is very important for these three improvisers. The synthesis of moods, characters, playing techniques, expressions, dynamics, rhythms, Europe and Asian countries, academic avant-garde and experimental jazz form whole sound of the album. Rich musical language, colorful rhythmic, original and interesting harmony make an effort to improvisations musical pattern and sound. Soft flutes melodies and expressive saxophone solos by Dave Liebman are filled with contrasts and dynamic melodies. He gently fuses and combines together gorgeous and subtle flute melodies, passionate, energetic and loud saxophone melodies, wild fast and virtuosic passages and arpeggios, subtle, lyric and slow solos and many other elements. All these contrasting melodies are gently combined together in one place and illustrated with huge range of unusual timbres, special sound effects and weird noises. Dave Liebman tries out experimental and new ways of playing and masterfully combines them with simple and traditional playing techniques. Avant-garde jazz, bebop, Japan native music melodic intonations, experimental music and other music styles are subtly synthesized together in one place. Adam Rudolph and Tatsuya Nakatani percussion improvisations gently fit together – each of them has its own and unique improvising style. Adam Rudolph pays more attention to rhythms, bass line, use high variety of different rhythms and rhythmic formulas of various jazz styles, European music elements. Tatsuya Nakatani music is more orientated to unusual and fascinating timbres – along with traditional percussion instruments he also use native instruments of Japan music. His improvisations are the result of marvelous synthesis of Japan and European music, filled with unusual timbres, weird sounds and colorful noises. All three musicians are improvising masterfully, creatively and free – their improvisations are based on fascinating melodies, the synthesis between different cultures, music elements and have fascinating and innovative sound.