Label: ESP Disk, 2020
Personnel - Henry Raker: alto saxophone; Steve Holtje: keyboards; Jochem van Dijk: electric bass; Ken Kobayashi: drums.
Caterpillar Quartet - Henry Raker on alto sax, Steve Holtje on keyboards, Jochem van Dijk on electric bass, and Ken Kobayashi on drums - operates in an ecosystem of its own since 2018, the year of its formation. Threads, the sophomore album by the New York-based group, offers nine new compositions that predominantly blends elements of free jazz with alternative, ambient and underground rock music.
The session is launched with “Intimations”, a moody piece that never goes beyond the taciturn places initially proposed. Both the tonal stagnancy and lethargy in pace are common characteristics to other tunes. Such is the case with the gently psychedelic “Noir”, which, in spite of the title and the low-pitched bass routines, is a pop-ish stew with a rudimentary, uniform beat underneath. In the same bunch, we have “Essence”, a conveyor of serenity marked by crepuscular wisps of immaterial forms, and “Requiem”, in which incisive saxophone cries cause streaks of vivid color to appear over the sustained harmonic tapestry. There’s also “Inside Out”, the heart-rending ballad that closes out the album, warmly brushed by Kobayashi and carrying a nice, sweet melody at the center.
Contrasting with the numbers described above, “Skronky” overflows with detail within a boisterous context. The tension and density created by bowed bass and thumping drums serve as a thrilling playground for the saxophonist, whose melodic figures and expressive outputs feel as much supplicant as sardonic. Following a similar line of action, “Tempest” is a free jazz contortion informed by irregular swinging bass walks, expansive post-bop language, and a fervency akin to Marion Brown’s prayerful appeals. Anyway, it holds a meditative section where the piano becomes the focus.
If “Embers” boasts roaring electronic-like drones while demarcating a funk rhythm with refracting twirls, then “The Machine in the Ghost” embraces dark atmospheres, injecting static noise for extra tension and opacity. Raker blows playful rhythmic phrases with circularity on the former, whereas, in the latter, he enters in a convulsive spiral as his horn vociferates with cutting and gruff tones.
This quartet firmly commands our attention to its textures and moods, applying perspicuity in the process without forgetting the necessary portions of adventure and intrigue.
Grade B+
Favorite Tracks:
02 - Skronky ► 05 - Tempest ► 09 - Inside Out