Record Reviews

MANERI / KALMANOVITCH / JACOBSON / OSGOOD ~ VARIATIONS ON NO PARTICULAR THEME – PART 2 GOTTA LET IT OUT 50 ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 2021 Released: 2022 This is the second part of the “diptych” recorded by the international Improvised Music quartet, which comprises of American violist Mat ManeriFind albums by this artist, Canadian violist Tanya KalmanovitchFind albums by this artist, Polish bassist Tomo JacobsonFind albums by this artist and Danish drummer Kresten OsgoodFind albums by this artist. The album presents six improvised pieces, all called “variation” and numbered, probably according to the recording sequence (my guess). The music is as improvised as it gets, with no melodic continuity whatsoever, with everything happening in a spur of the moment, exactly as expected in such circumstances. However, the unusual instrumentation, which is a sort of string trio with drums, has a natural appeal and manages to attract the attention of listeners used to the Improvised Music ambience. There is no doubt that these are highly original musicians with a wide experience, which helps them to develop the crisscross conversations between them, which create a series of solo / duo / trio / quartet statements, weaved within the time continuity, and which eventually start to make sense to the open-minded listener. Overall, this is an almost “romantic” excursion within the Improvised Music scene, which might be able to reach a somewhat wider audience than most of such recordings eventually do. Kudos to Jacobson and his Gotta Let It OutFind albums on this label label, which is one of the most prolific independent Improvised Music labels active in Europe today.

Updated: 16/03/2023Posted: 04/10/2022

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