DEERHOOF & WADADA LEO SMITH - TO BE SURROUNDED… (Joyful Noise Recordings, 2020)
Personnel - Satomi Matsuzaki: vocals, bass; Ed Rodriguez: bass, guitar; John Dieterich: guitar; Greg Saunier: drums + Wadada Leo Smith: trumpet.
This recording from indie-rock experimenters Deerhoof is empowered by the participation of Wadada Leo Smith, an ever-searching trumpeter and free improviser who carved out a singular path in the avant-garde sphere. His searing lines populate the five last tracks on the album, which were captured live at the NYC Winter JazzFest 2018. All 11 tunes were culled from former works, and it’s the wonderfully sung “Believe E.S.P.” that opens the album, churning an uncompromising indie-rock professed with muscle, energy and tons of noise. The playful thrash riot of “Polly Bee”, the cathartic and eccentric “Bad Kids to the Front”, and the power-chord-filled “I Will Spite Survive”, which emerges in arena rock mode, are all delivered with the expected energy for which we know them. The illustrious guest Wadada infuses his loud projections in the Talking Heads-oriented “Snoopy Waves”, interacts with the furious guitar incendiarism of “Breakup Songs”, and adapts incredibly well to the reggae vibes in “Mirror Monster”. The mercurial “Last Fad”, which abounds in gorgeous guitar detail and giddy trumpet presence, is the longest piece at nearly nine minutes. [B+]
KEPLER IS FREE - TEEGARDEN (Veego Records, 2020)
Personnel - Nikiforos Nugent: keys; Spiros Zardas: trumpet; Giorgos Migdanis: guitar; Vassilis Alexopoulos: bass; Sokratis Tsentoglou: drums.
The debut album by eclectic Athens-based group Kepler is Free consists of five tracks that seamlessly blend disparate musical styles. On the first minutes of “Bennu”, a pounding, pedaling bass pulse underpins atmospheric guitar tones and synth tides. This smooth surface becomes rugged as a consequence of an electro-rock texture weaved with distortion and half-cerebral, half-improvised trumpet lines hovering overhead. “Teegarden b” and “Habitable Zone” are palpable sonic frames infused with soul and jazz. The former relies on a circular groove in seven - with slippery bass and a routinely syncopated rhythm - and features a keyboard solo with manifest guitar comping in the background; the latter piece, initially marked by synth loops, denotes changes in pace and direction. Migdanis’ free funk chops here prepare our ears to “Cluster 3”, a combination of funk and electronica that achieves an anthemic status by the end. “Juno” steps into more commercial territories and concludes the session with a hip-hop feel in the beat, guitar-driven melodies, and the voice and lyrics of Kalli. Although somewhat lumpy and programmatic in its structural blocks, the band shows to have a sense of direction. [B-]
MAX PLATTNER TRIO - II (Cracked Anegg Records, 2020)
Personnel - Lorenzo Sighel: tenor saxophone; Marco Stagni: double and electric basses; Max Plattner: drums.
Austrian young drummer/composer Max Plattner has a knack for song structures that involve enjoyable melodies, improvisation and groove. For his debut album, II, he opted for the typical saxophone-bass-drums format, playing alongside a pair of Italian musicians. “Cooking” makes for an enticing opening, featuring Lorenzo Sighel’s clear-cut sax phrasing over a round, thick and loud propulsive rhythmic drive. Bass player Marco Stein delivers a chant-like improv here, whereas on “Love Song” he opts for an ambient chordal-like work offset by Plattner’s chunky slams. “Chopped Up” is a danceable rave-up with claps and vocals; “Il Nano Masticatore” channels the energy into Charlie Parker’s artistry with playful bop melodies, fragmented rhythms and a firmly locked swing; “Rips Are Cage of Emotions” finds a balance between nontoxic punk rock and sensitive post-bop; “Welcome to Sodoma & Gomorrah” has a more experimental vibe with traces of free bop; while the ebb and flow of “Neuschee” is rippled by sprightly brushwork, a caravan-like groove and mood variations that include both meditative and rock-infused passages. The results are consistently pleasant to listen to, with the trio showing off a confident sense of identity. [B+]