Label: Clean Feed Records, 2021

Personnel - Pedro Carneiro: maestro; Pedro Melo Alves: drums, percussion; José Soares: alto saxophone; João Pedro Brandão: alto saxophone, flute; Albert Cirera: tenor and soprano saxophone; Frederic Cardoso: clarinets; Álvaro Machado: bassoon; Gileno Santana: trumpet; Xavi Sousa: trombone; Ricardo Pereira: trombone; Fábio Rodrigues: tuba; Clara Saleiro: flutes; José Diogo Martins: piano; Mané Fernandes: electric guitar; Luís José Martins: classical guitar; Luís André Ferreira: cello; Pablo Moledo: double bass; Alvaro Rosso: double bass; Mariana Dionísio: voice; Nazaré da Silva: voice; Diogo Ferreira: voice; João Miguel Braga Simões: percussion; João Carlos Pinto: eletronics.

Channeling his progressive inclinations into a 75-minute opus conceived for an enlarged version of the Omniae Ensemble, the Portuguese drummer/composer Pedro Melo Alves works with 21 like-minded cohorts to give the intended shape to his through-composed creation. The three selections on this record had been included in the previous 2017 installment, but on Lumina they are put together with singers, stringed instruments, brass, woodwinds, electronics and a pivotal rhythm section. These landscapes of sound unearth several energies and moods that are a challenge worth meeting.

Schematized with chained up sequences, “Obi” kicks off with dark-hued, low-pitched sounds that, later on, are defied by piercing flutes, electronic noise, rattling percussion, and both wailing and howling vocals. The singers become courageous in the darkly epic, quite cinematic progression that follows, and then a temporary suspension serves the quirkiness of guitarist Mané Fernandes before the ensemble digs into an open-minded texture over which a sax solo takes place. There are denser, pushing-forward movements contrasting with ethereal chants and pacific horn playing in all its transcendent glory.

“Phelia” is introduced by the poised piano playing of Jose Diogo Martins , which, blending tradition and avant-garde abrasiveness, emerges from an indistinct cloud of noise. Vocal and instrumental elements shade in careful moderation, and a somber mood results from the mixture of exotic and hapless vibes, here reinforced by bowed bass and cello. Subsequently, we have a thumping cadenced rhythm with vocal counterpoint leading to impetuous orchestral concentrations that gradually dissolve for a serene finale.

Backdropped with an angst-ridden texture, “Onírea” displays an authoritative tuba resonating closer to the buzzing torment created by irregular drum pluses, electronic disruptions and noise discharges. Rhythmic accentuations, swarming fluxes and soloing opportunities are provided, and everyone leans into the musical idea, contributing to the synergistic power of the experience. Meanwhile, the bandleader emerges from behind the drum kit fanning the fancy textures with precise articulation.

Lumina is clearly a winning step with respect to the previous Omniae installment, brimming with avant forays, challenging foundations and plenty of surfacing interjections and combinations.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Ubi ► 03 - Onírea

Label: Nischo, 2017

Lineup – José Soares: alto saxophone; Gileno Santana: trumpet; Xavi Sousa: trombone; Mané Fernandes: electric guitar; Zé Diogo Martins: piano; Filipe Louro: double bass; Pedro Melo Alves: drums.

Omniae Ensemble is a Porto-based, 7-piece debutant group led by Portuguese drummer José Pedro Alves, whose well-founded artistic statement is made by orderly congested strides and breathable organic textures. Their debut CD features three originals by Alves and another three by the late pianist Bernardo Sassetti.

“Ubi”, the 22-minute overture of this Braxton-esque long opus, brings us vertiginous waves of intricate sounds accommodated as fractal soundscape collages. The group interaction is favorable in its most diverse circumstances, from exciting soloing sections to gripping textural passages, where the accompaniment assumes the form of drones or repetitive chord progressions. The work that surfaces from piano and synth guitar deserves a mention, and it all flows in an engaging hybridity between composed avant-jazz blissfulness and overdriven rock urgency.

Oscillating with acerbic tension and controlled drift, “Phelia” exalts the cinematic as it searches for dynamics through hushed repose, locomotive rhythmic progressions, and horn counterpoint. The post-bop incursions by pianist Zé Diogo Martins are highlights.

Sassetti’s “(In)Diferente” marks the great moment of the record with a patient introduction, vigorous pulses, and suspended sonic emanations. Amid the glancing encounters between light and darkness, one can find a consummate interdependency between classical piano movements and articulated saxophone lines drawn from modern jazz. The same idea prevails when the trombone runs against atmospheric guitar strokes.

With a looking-forward posture, “Onírea” finds a strange balance between the booming and the murmured. After the bass roams of Filipe Louro, the tune falls into a balladic mode to receive a fairytale-ish improvisation by trumpeter Gileno Santana.

After the powerful spasmodic reflex that launches “Reflexos, Movimento Circular” and some convulsive giddiness provoked by the collective, we can identify Sasseti's beautiful waltz. The strong classical feel veers momentarily to an odd pulse that better emphasizes Mané Fernandes' distorted guitar solo before the theme is brought back.

The album closes with “Da Noite”, another piece of Sasseti that deliberately embraces the shadowy and soothing.

Omniae Ensemble, composed of invigorating practitioners of new music, sounds like a modern symphonic work imbued with overwhelming emotion and deep resonance. The Portuguese jazz is well represented here.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Ubi ► 03 - (In)Diferente ► 04 - Onírea