Label: Trytone, 2025
Personnel - José Soares: alto saxophone; Miguel Petruccelli: guitar; Pedro Ivo Ferreira: bass; Onno Govaert: drums.
Brazilian double bassist and composer Pedro Ivo Ferreira has long been a fixture in Amsterdam, where he’s been based since 2014. Leading his quartet Orè with determination, Ferreira takes chances and earns admiration with Matter Antimatter, his third outing fusing Brazilian roots, free improvisation, and modern composition. The European/South American ensemble features Portuguese altoist José Soares, Uruguayan guitarist Miguel Petruccelli, and Dutch drummer Onno Govaert, all currently living in Amsterdam.
The concise, self-assured “Murphy’s 11th Law” opens the album with a free-spirited bass groove, followed by tight melodic coordination between sax and drums. Govaert’s soft brushes anchor Ferreira’s resonant, conversational improvisation. “Ode” moves from a capoeira-like hustle—with a berimbau sample by Mister Dendê Mukumbi, sax squeaks, and wet, rebounding percussion—to energetic, shape-shifting avant-jazz cycles.
This hybrid approach yields a different effect in “Free Wheel”, where Govaert’s tambourine steers a melodic, groovy bossa pulse that once again mutates into avant-garde agitation with urgency and efficiency. Its exquisite deconstruction even veers toward anthemic rock by the end. The quartet’s capacity for shifting rhythms and moods is fully displayed, while “Pastor”—a lumbering, circumspect, and reflective piece tinged with mournful tones—enters in quiet exploratory mode, its atonal alto flutters and understated drum work deepening the somberness.
“Trilemma” marches combatively with snare fluidity, cymbal regularity, and resolute bass steps, while Soares’ magnetic alto spins a few striking motifs, drawing intelligent, immediate responses from Petruccelli’s active guitar. “Uncertain Principle” and the title track employ similar formulas—elaborate themes and a punkier edge fused with avant-garde maturity—at times suggesting Tim Berne under a groove spell. The former features Soares articulating with angular bite before giving way to Petruccelli’s spasmodic electric shards, while the latter unfolds with natural counterpoint and a sharply punctuated conversation between sax and guitar.
“Curious and Inhuman” erupts as a rampant, tumultuous collective roar, while the remaining five pieces provide individualized opportunities for each musician to speak: “Gravel” (Ferreira), “Foreword” and “Nadir” (Govaert), “Overpass” (Petruccelli), and “Provenience” (Soares).
The album’s greatest strength lies not only in the well-tempered hybridity of Ferreira’s compositions but also in the sheer sense of play the quartet finds while exploring his music.
Favorite Tracks:
02 - Ode ► 04 - Trilemma ► 07 - Free Wheel ► 09 - Uncertain Principle