Sunny Five w/Tim Berne, David Torn, Marc Ducret, Devin Hoff, Ches Smith: Candid

Avant Jazz / Free Improvisation / Avant-Garde
premiera polska: 2024-01-23
opakowanie: Triplefoldowe etui
opis: JazzTrail * * * *
... Biorąc pod uwagę kreatywny potencjał kwintetu Sunny Five, w skład którego wchodzą wyjątkowo kreatywni muzycy jazzowi, "Candid" niczym magnes przyciąga słuchacza i pochłania go bez reszty. Wielokrotna lektura płyty gwarantuje intensywne doznania, w których każdy szczegół odkrywa się na nowo i rezonuje z bogactwem muzycznej różnorodności zespołu...

Something ELSE!
"Candid" to kolektywna improwizacja odbywająca się w czasie rzeczywistym. Cztery długie epizody, w których muzycy łączą się, rozpraszają, budują i uwalniają jako całość, a zaangażowanie w budowanie narracji kwintetu jest solidarne. Kiedy w połowie "Piper" muzycy wspinają się wysoko osiągając jednogłośne crescendo, w którym Torn i Ducret częstują słuchacza orgią gitarowych przesterów i zgrzytów, znajdujemy się na najwyższym poziomie noise-jazzu...
... Ten przerażająco utalentowany kwintet daje mistrzowską wykładnię free improve, ich nieokiełznane jammowanie w służbie awangardowej pasji ujawnia adekwatny potencjał w najlepszy z możliwych sposobów...

Editor's info:
Sunny Five with Tim Berne, David Torn, Marc Ducret, Devin Hoff and Ches Smith brings together five of the most promi-nent voices on the New York jazz scene. This group of friends pursues a creative vision that explores the juxtaposition of pure acoustic sonic elements and the integration of electric/electronic sound-generation. “We hear Tim Berne’s saxo-phone – rectilinear, concise, insistent – interacting/inton-ing with and through the deeply textural sound worlds of David Torn’s electric/electronic guitar playing, coupled with or countered by guitarist Marc Ducret’s incisive, essentialist virtuosity. There are tensions present that seem unresolv-able and made more so by the fathoming sonorities of Devin Hoff’s bass and the metric pliability of Ches Smith’s approach to the drums and electronics …There are moments in the mu-sic where it may be impossible to tell who’s doing what… and by what means…” writes Brandon Ross in the liner notes, calling this record “Kinetic, mysterious, cinematic and hero-ically exciting.”
JazzTrail * * * *
Sunny Five is a formidable contemporary jazz quintet comprised of exceptional improvisers and experimentalists. Saxophonist Tim Berne has been a mighty presence in the avant-garde jazz scene for years; Ches Smith is one of the hippest drummers out there; electric bassist Devin Hoff brings alternative perspectives to the music that often fall out of conventional jazz moods; and the highly esteemed guitarists Marc Ducret and David Torn, who extract beautifully offset sounds and effects from their instruments, round out the group with their creative exuberance. Candid is the group’s debut album.
The opener, “Piper”, is an uncluttered experimental exhortation that incorporates drones, electronic echoing, noise guitar pigmentation, swooping saxophone motifs, and freedom in the rhythmic foundation without adhering to a particular direction. “Scratch” follows, with Berne’s thrilling saxophone playing gifting the group deft melodies and sardonic tones over a tapestry of smooth electronics. The conversation continues with the guitarists, accompanied by an amorphously elliptical bass design and agitated drumming. It’s a different kind of prayer that intertwines avant-garde jazz and experimental rock with an enticing unpredictability. Danceable motivic expressionism prevails, but the sounds may transition from dense and loud to quiet and ambiguous.
The group strings together a series of ingeniously eclectic movements over the course of “Craw”, emulating a strange funk vibe at the base via fragmented guitar, an insistent bass underpinning, and a balanced mix of hi-hat, snare, and cymbal on the drum kit. In due course, we have a mantric East-inspired drone and then escalating noise reinforcing the abstraction. Smith’s drumming brings the tempo down, surrounded by the dark hues and sinister atmospheres created by Torn and Ducret.
The monumental 35-minute finale, “Floored”, includes precisely executed twists and turns, showcasing the ensemble’s creative vision and storytelling prowess. The music traverses from cries to shouts, from ominous to appeasing sounds, and from corrosive and incendiary moments to thoughtful and tense considerations. Its quasi-apocalyptic fervor can be intimidating, yet it captivates with its depth and intensity.
Given the daring explorative strengths of Sunny Five, listeners are encouraged to let Candid soak in. Repeated listenings promise a vibrant experience, with every detail revealing itself anew and resonating with the richness of the ensemble's musical tapestry.
by FILIPE FREITAS

Something ELSE!
Guitars have been a part of Tim Berne’s music since a then-unknown Nels Cline appeared on Berne’s second album 7x (1980) and a few years later with a just-emerging Bill Frisell (Theoretically, 1984). No guitarists have figured more prominently in Berne’s oeuvre over the last twenty-five or so years than Marc Ducret and David Torn. Candid brings those two together with this saxophonist for the first time.
Billed as the ‘Sunny Five,’ the Sun of Goldfinger trio of Berne, Torn and drummer Ches Smith is bolstered by Ducret and electric bassist Devin Hoff. Hoff (Nels Cline Singers, Dylan Ryan/Sand, Mendoza Hoff Revels) represents another intriguing twist, as Berne is heard alongside an electric bassist (Berne usually performs with an acoustic bassist or no bass at all).
As both Ducret and Torn are very brash axe men and Hoff is no shrinking violet, either, the Sunny Five is a loud and audacious band. With Torn tossing out his live, multi-looping and Smith supplementing with creepy electronics, this isn’t just a dangerous band on paper, it sounds every bit the part.
All the composing here is done as we hear it: on the fly as group improvisation. Four episodic, lengthy pieces where the players converge, disperse, build up and release as a unit and the commitment to make an impact at every turn is strong. When “Piper” builds up to a mid-song crescendo of Torn and Ducret meeting together in an orgy of screech, it’s noise-jazz at the highest level. Berne by himself matches the fervor with one of his more off-the-chain blowing moments.
In spite of the instant composition approach taken to realize songs as they are performed, there’s a strong sense of direction and purpose. “Scratch” is definitely linear across its vast, 19-minute duration, starting with a premonition mood soon to be borne out by Berne’s urgent sax wails and moving logically to the next phase of Hoff and Smith muscling in. Smith’s drum explosions lay the foundation for a full-frontal attack of guitar, electronics and, eventually, saxophone. It all comes crashing down, because there’s no other way to go, and the seeds are quickly planted for a new, uneasy ambiance.
Ducret grooves with Hoff’s and Smith’s sideways funky figure on “Craw” that stays loose enough for Berne to stretch way out. “Floored” is lengthy enough to be its own album. The twelve-minute intro of elongated notes makes way for one of Smith’s impossible time signatures, laying the foundation for Berne’s slow simmering side and his uproarious side sandwiching a deluge of overdriven guitars from by Ducret and Torn. By the song’s conclusion, the boys are throwing down that doom jazz.
In the end, Candid is a jam record but in this case, the jams expose just how scary talented this assemblage truly is. Deployed in the service of unfiltered passion, it’s talent applied in the best way.
BY S. VICTOR AARON

muzycy:
Tim Berne: Alto Saxophone
Marc Ducret: Vendramini Guitars and Table Guitar
Devin Hoff: Electric Bass
Ches Smith: Drums, Electronics
David Torn: Electric Guitar and Live Multi-Looping

utwory:
1. Piper (9:01)
2. Scratch (19:03)
3. Craw (8:41)
4. Floored (35:12)

wydano: January 19, 2024
nagrano: Recorded September 5th and 6th 2022 at Firehouse 12, New Haven, CT by Greg DiCrosta

more info: www.intaktrec.ch