Label: ACT, 2023

Personnel - Peter Brotzmann: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Majid Bekkas: guembri, voice; Hamid Drake: drums, percussion.

The late German saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, who left us on June 22nd at the age of 82, was at the wheel of numerous free jazz outings over the course of a rich six-decade career. His last recordings - An Eternal Reminder of Not Today (with the experimental rock outfit Oxbow) and Naked Nudes (with cellist Fredrik Lonberg-Holm and pedal steel guitarist Heather Leigh) are worthy musical journeys, as well as this entirely improvised live recording, Catching Ghosts, a culture-blending trio effort with Moroccan guembri player and vocalist Majid Bekkas and American drummer Hamid Drake.

Brotzmann was open to exploring new territories on every session, and the threesome here frame their distinct sounds into an offbeat hybrid fusion of gnawa songs and free jazz. The program, recorded live at Jazzfest Berlin 2022, offers four free-flowing and unrehearsed gnawa traditional pieces that, following consistent textural palettes, are galvanized by the driving force of Brotzmann’s saxophone playing. The opener, “Chalaba”, blazes the trail. The two-stringed, camel-skin-backed guembri can sound like a bass in the lower registers, soon establishing a sextuple time groove while having clean cymbal scintillation by its side. The saxophone clamors find space between phrases, entering this dance arena with either growling intensity or hoarse moaning, yet invariably with class and personality.

The following three pieces were included on Bekkas’ 2002 album African Gnaoua Blues. “Mawama” appears here with strong hi-hat pulsation and snare activity, putting more emphasis on the vocals than the sax; the 14-minute “Hamdouchia” presents a 10-beat cycle groove, having Brotzmann - in all his fiery, subversive and provocative style - responding to Bakkas’ voice; and “Balini”, both propulsive and airy, features Brotzmann’s whining clarinet prayers over rhythmic interlocking patterns generated by Bekkas and Drake.

These musicians take chances, each serving the material with musical passion and care. This is a wonderful goodbye from Brotzmann, a force of nature who will be deeply missed by all free jazzers.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Chalaba ► 03 - Hamdouchia

Label: RareNoise, 2019

Personnel - Dave Liebman: tenor and soprano saxophones, piano, wooden recorder; Adam Rudolph: handrumset, piano, sinter, percussion, electronics; Hamid Drake: drumset, vocals, frame drum, percussion.

Combining the mysticism of ancient traditions and the sonic aesthetics of today’s music, Chi is an album of spontaneous music, matching saxophonist Dave Liebman with two top-class percussionists and kindred spirits, Adam Rudolph and Hamid Drake. The latter collaborates with the saxophonist for the very first time, giving precious help in the rhythmic layout of a record that shares the same conception as The Unknowable, another RareNoise release that featured Liebman, Rudolph and Japanese percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani.

The short-lived opener, “Becoming”, shapes slowly, creating a whispery electronic settlement that gains further mystery with the addition of Rudolph’s jolting intervals on the piano. Liebman infuses some spirituality at the last minute, making us wanting more.

The simpatico rhythmic tide of “Flux” upholds the alacritous, coiled phrases from tenor saxophone. This turbo-charged firepower settles down into a calm passage that, nonetheless, comes loaded with Liebman’s virtuosic language, which echoes on soprano sax with delay effect. Behind the drum kit, Drake responds accordingly, while Rudolph creates a densely propulsive flux through expeditious hand-drum bombardments.

If “Continuum” generates tension by departing from long howling cries and landing into pungently accented phrases, “Formless Form” mixes sweet piano delineations with chirping sounds, attaining a delicate equilibrium between nature and spirit. Liebman plays the piano with dexterity and unchained abandon, and, for an instant, Drake uses his voice, before diffusing an exhilarating percussion tapestry alongside Rudolph.

After the shifting, energetic, and expertly rendered “Emergence”, the longest piece on the record, “Whirl” brings the recording to a conclusion, proliferating a sort of groovy mantra implanted by Rudolph’s sintir and featuring Drake’s frame drum and vocals, as well as Liebman’s penetrating soprano exclamations.

The trio immerses us into their creative sonic bubble where fearless sounds may whether anchor you to Earth’s foundations or make you travel well above the clouds.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Flux ► 04 - Formless Form ► 06 - Whirl