Transatlantic Trance Map - Marconi's Drift

November 25, 2024

Label: False Wall Records, 2024
Personnel - UK Ensemble: Evan Parker: soprano saxophone; Matthew Wright: turntable, live sampling; Peter Evans: trumpet; Robert Jarvis: trombone ; Hannah Marshall: cello; Pat Thomas: live electronics; Alex Ward: clarinet // US Ensemble: Sylvie Courvoisier: piano, keyboards; Mat Maneri: viola; Ikue Mori: laptop live electronics; Sam Pluta: laptop live electronics; Ned Rothenberg: clarinet, bass clarinet, shakuhachi; Craig Taborn: piano, keyboards, live electronics.

Trance Map, the explorative British duo that falls under the joint command of saxophonist Evan Parker and sound designer Matthew Wright, has been pushing boundaries since its formation in 2008. Known for their innovative blend of acoustic improvisation and electronic manipulation, the duo has released albums featuring various guest musicians and performed across Europe and the U.S. in dynamic lineups. Transatlantic Trance Map is a special variation of the group—a collaboration between ensembles in Faversham, UK, and Brooklyn, USA, performing simultaneously in an uninterrupted 55-minute session. This 13-piece ensemble delivers co-composed music where unpredictability reigns, merging cerebral precision with whimsical spontaneity.

The album opens with the slap-tonguing staccatos and deep drones of Ned Rothenberg’s bass clarinet, flanked by Parker’s eloquent and boisterous soprano sax. The sonic palette is expanded significantly by the inclusion of electronic virtuosos Pat Thomas, Ikue Mori, Sam Pluta, and keyboardist Craig Taborn, resulting in a rich tapestry of digital frequencies, chirping sounds, metallic scrapes, and distant buzzes that permeate the performance.

True to their experimental ethos, the ensemble never veers far from its avant-garde foundations, even in its quieter, contemplative moments. Mat Maneri’s viola shifts seamlessly between abrasive, acidic textures and poignant lyricism, at times blending with cellist Hannah Marshall, who transitions from pizzicato plucks to resonant arco lines without disrupting the atmospheric continuity. Meanwhile, the horn players generate turbulent soundscapes, supported by imaginative contributions from piano—whether Taborn or Sylvie Courvoisier—and dynamic percussion.

There are loose, segmented movements where the spontaneous interplay occurs in a casual manner, but sometimes I felt that a more specific motion was needed. After Peter Evans’ insistent trumpet motifs and trills, that motion indeed occurs, with Rothenberg embarking on a circular-breathing tour de force on bass clarinet—punctuated by slap-tongued blurts—while surrounded by dreamy piano cluster chords, pulsating electronic drones, and mournful viola cries. This confluence builds into a bulky symphonic construction before settling into a tense, static conclusion.

Evan Parker’s saxophone prisms and Matthew Wright’s imaginative sound design, combined with the ensemble’s fearless improvisational spirit, deliver a challenging sonic journey.

Evan Parker / Matthew Wright, Trance Map+ - Etching the Ether

August 16, 2023

Label: Intakt Records, 2023

Personnel - Evan Parker: soprano saxophone; Matthew Wright: live electronics, sound design; Peter Evans: trumpet, piccolo trumpet; Mark Nauseef: percussion.

This recording reunites the British saxophonist Evan Parker and his fellow countryman, the electronic musician, turntablist and sound designer Matthew Wright. Together, they are Trance Map, a project in constant mutation. As usual, ambiguity and experimentation prevail, with two talented guest musicians helping them build something unique on the spur of the moment. The participation of trumpeter Peter Evans and percussionist Mark Nauseef, and the way they deal with sound and texture, makes Etching the Ether a much more exciting record than the previous, Crepuscule in Nickelsdorff (Intakt, 2019).

Putting today’s technology at their service, the foursome begin their inexhaustible post-jazz excursion with “At Altitude”, combining high-pitched whistles, droning electronics, infinite soprano roundabouts, growling trumpet multiphonics, sparse gong vibrations, and a mix of tinkling, rattling, and metallic percussion sounds.

With tense layers of sound as their grooves, and a fusion of circularity and obliqueness as their language, “Drawing Breath”, at nearly 21 minutes, is an instigation with breadth of vision. There’s an intensification of the percussive tract at an early stage and a buzzing tapestry over which Evans unpacks swift trumpet phrases with an excitable temperament. Parker joins him to probe orbicular and elliptical trajectories that, occurring in parallel, create an intensively flickering stimulus on the ear. Riffing in ecstasy, they reach magnitudes of sound whose color, shape and motion are difficult to anticipate. By the end, electronic murmurations accommodate dark synth-like waves and noisy patterns of different pitches.

For “Engaged in Seeking”, the leaders gave full rein to Nauseef, who created an elusive background in post-production. He contributes heavily to a wider and deeper dimension of the music, whose intensities are masterfully commanded by Parker and Evans. They reach a climax before the quiet finale, with the trumpeter stretching erratically over a granular texture. This stirring, free-flowing ride is best experienced in sequence.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Drawing Breath ► 03 - Engaged in Seeking

Flash Reviews - The Attic / Evan Parker / Darren Barrett

January 3, 2020

THE ATTIC - SUMMER BUMMER (NoBusiness Records, 2019)

Personnel - Rodrigo Amado: tenor sax; Gonçalo Almeida: double bass; Onno Govaert: drums.

The Attic is a European free jazz trio composed of Portuguese saxist Rodrigo Amado, Portuguese bassist Gonçalo Almeida, and Dutch drummer Onno Govaert, who now sits on the chair that once belonged to Marco Franco. Summer Bummer is the trio’s sophomore effort and includes three extemporaneous pieces that spawn a rash of peculiar swinging streams, which may easily escalate into intricate rhythmic entanglements and spiraling rapid-fire phrases with timbral diversity and corrosive ebullience. Invocations of Coltrane, Ornette, Braxton, and Ayler are disseminated throughout. Cautious introductory assemblages expand into denser textural layering, defining the communication as a three-way dialogue before rambling journeys, often set to urgent pacing, become fleshed out by Amado’s muscular horn. Full of passion and exerting a hypnotic spell on the listener, The Attic proved capable of giving giant steps. [A-]

EVAN PARKER - CREPUSCULE IN NICKELSDORF (Intakt Records, 2019)

Personnel - Evan Parker: soprano sax; Matthew Wright: turntable, live sampling; Adam Linson: double bass, electronics; John Coxon: turntable, electronics; Ashley Wales: electronics.

The obsessive circularity of Evan Parker’s soprano is a mutual characteristic of the seven chapters that compose Crepuscule in Nickelsdorf, a live album whose experimental music inhabits an undefined space immersed in light refraction. For this work, the saxophonist teams up with turntablist Matthew Wright and three other electronic manipulators and members of the latter’s group Trance Map+. The result felt a bit short of what I expected. Despite the challenging concept to create permanent abstraction through digitally manipulated sounds that include buzzing activity (variable in pitch and volume) reminiscent of insects, programmed phenomena, and persistent birdlike chirping overlaps, the experience was a bit tiresome. The patterned code-like tones still create some frisson, but they often downshift into autopilot mode. Nonetheless, everything in this aural microcosms sounded relentlessly and unconditionally here and now. [C+]

DARREN BARRETT - MR. STEINER (dB Studios, 2019)

Personnel - Darren Barrett: EVI, trumpet; Santiago Bosch: keyboards; Chad Selph: organ; Daniel Ashkenazy: bass; Gonn Shani: bass; Mathéo Techer: drums; Roni Kaspi: drums; Jeffrey Lockhart: guitar; Roy Ben Bashat: guitar; François Chanvallon: guitar; Judy Barrett: percussion + guests Kenny Garrett: soprano saxophone; Noah Preminger: tenor saxophone; Kurt Rosenwinkel: guitar.

Totally focused on the EVI (Electronic Valve Instrument), Canadian trumpeter Darren Barrett has his second consecutive misfire with Mr. Steiner, a stylized album that, homaging the creator of the cited polyphonic instrument, Nyle Steiner, never hits high peaks. Blending electronic and jazz elements, the album has the short EVI-centered title track as one of its best moments (it also features trumpet interventions and a compendious guitar solo by guest Kurt Rosenwinkel). Another illustrious guest, Kenny Garrett, contributes a soulful soprano peregrination to upgrade the R&B-infused “dB plus KG”, while tenorist Noah Preminger makes use of his developed language, shaking up the insipid melodic narratives of “Botnik”, a stereotyped fusion effort. On “Only You Know”, it’s Venezuelan keyboardist Santiago Bosch who deserves attention as he keeps displaying mind-boggling machine-like sounds. Although respecting Barrett’s musical prism and knowing what he’s capable of (The Opener was one of my favorite albums from 2017), I could never get a real kick out of this new record, which only sporadically draws interest through individual statements. [C]

Evan Parker & Kinetics - Chiasm

July 15, 2019

Label: Clean Feed, 2019

Personnel - Evan Parker: tenor saxophone; Jacob Anderskov: piano; Adam Pultz Melbye: bass; Anders Vestergaard: drums.

The fruitful association between English saxophonist Evan Parker, an authority in the free improvisation panorama, and the Lisbon-based imprint Clean Feed has more than a decade. His latest recording for the cited record label involved The Kinetics, a Danish trio led by pianist Jacob Anderskov and featuring bassist Adam Pultz Melbye, and drummer Anders Vestergaard. On the inscrutable and yet mesmerizing Chiasm, they indulge in four pieces captured live in two European cities, London (at the Vortex Jazz Club) and Copenhagen (at DKDM Studio). At those places, the quartet funneled their creative forces into a solid package of music that flutters with labyrinthine paths and experimental structures.

Clocking in at 18 minutes, “London Part I” is the longest piece on the CD, kicking off with the pianist as he probes directions with fearlessness and creates a swampy sonic terrain whose magnetic effect drags us into its vortex. Parker infiltrates by blowing a razor-edged dissertation that, suddenly, becomes solely backed up by bass and drums. The versatile, highly interactive pianist adheres again, establishing a strangely zigzagging dialogue with the saxophonist, all flowering on top of an enthusiastic rhythmic tapestry. The last segment presents a shift in this atmosphere as the group obscures the canvas, yet nothing that can prevent the drums from emerging underneath the systematic flurries and blistering chords brought up by Anderskov.

“Copenhagen Part I” is made of an organic and strenuous continual movement that barely fluctuates within the consistent stream. Its mood differentiates from “Copenhagen Part II”, whose first layer is loosely established by piano and drums. Parker, whose obsessive blows range from cerebral to burning, jumps in to form a three-way communication channel over which, in due time, Melbye dispatches an interesting mix of pizzicato and arco bass reflections. Clearly, they are all working on the same wavelength, drowning their zest in a tense gravity to reach a noisy pinnacle before the calm ending.

“London Part II” closes the curtain with so much to admire. Parker ventures out alone, infusing percussive slap tonguing as part of his attractive burnished sound. He masters the saxophone with impressive control of circular breathing and unleashes multiple observations in the form of concentric bursts patterned with dark hues. With Coltrane in plain sight here, these are placed on top of the menacing soundscapes allocated by his co-workers.

Chiasm is inspired improvisation and another great effort in Parker’s never-ending pursuit of gripping, moody courses of sound and texture.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Copenhagen Part II ► 04 - London Part II

Mat Maneri, Evan Parker, Lucian Ban - Sounding Tears

May 30, 2017

Label/Year: Clean Feed, 2017

Lineup: Mat Maneri: viola; Evan Parker: saxophones; Lucian Ban: piano.

Sounding Tears is a nebulous musical session devised by the improvisational masters Mat Maneri, Evan Parker and Lucian Ban, American violist, British saxophonist, and American pianist of Romanian descent, respectively.

While Maneri teamed up recently with saxophonist Tony Malaby and cellist Daniel Levine on New Artifacts (Clean Feed, 2017), another abstract trio work, the prolific Parker followed a similar path on the astonishingly atmospheric As The Wind (Psi, 2016), recorded with percussionist Mark Nauseff and lithophonist Toma Gouband. As for Lucian Ban, he, too, released an album called Songs From Afar (Sunnyside, 2017) with his Elevation quartet, which comprises saxophonist Abraham Burton, bassist John Hebért, and drummer Eric McPherson. Maneri also played as a guest on half of the tracks.

As expected, the music of this trio arrives on the spur of the moment, acquiring random shapes and apparently flowing without a fixed structure.

On “Blue Light”, we have Parker’s uninterrupted enunciations secured by muted viola sounds and low-pitched piano notes, both working as a percussive obbligato. A lethargic disposition embraces us in the beginning of “Da da da”, whose uncanny vibes shift into an odd dance of violin and sax while the piano remains actively involved in the discussion.

Neglecting tempo and forsaking harmony, “The Rule of Twelves” finds Maneri and Parker playing an avant-chamber duet immersed in ambiguity. Also rendered in duet, but this time featuring Ban and Parker, “This!” takes a conversational path that, despite experimental, feels more graspable than the previous compositions.
Afterward, it's Ban alone, who shines with a solo piece, “Polaris”, being also preponderant on the enigmatic “Blessed”, in which his penetrating low notes superimpose to the sparse high-pitched lines. The setting he creates is perfect for Maneri’s microtonal approach and Parker’s uncompromised strays.

The record’s two closing tracks are lenient yet contrasting in nature. If “Paralex” evolves into a compulsive manifesto of disordered small flurries and spasms, “Hymn” is the closest the band can get from a song format and the most touching and ear-pleasing tune on the record.

Sounding Tears is a one-of-a-kind experience. It can be a journey to the ends of a remote universe or a philosophical exploration about the measureless weight of some weird microorganism. It will all depend on the receptivity of your own senses.

Favorite Tracks:
04 – Blessed ► 05 –This! ► 10 – Hymn