History does not only repeat itself. It also complicates things. Case in point: the improvisation/jazz scene in the Netherlands, where the pioneering work of the ‘New Dutch Swing’ musicians put Amsterdam on the map as a hotbed for creativity. And rightly so. But of course it is sometimes also at the expense of other creative hubs. The Amsterdam scene is still large, undeniably exciting and strikingly international, but its dominance overshadows what is going on elsewhere. It is harder for ‘outside’ musicians to appear on many stages or get noticed by the (inter-)national press.
This label has already released music by key improvisers from Rotterdam, with Ballads From The Wrecked Ship by Arvind Ganga and Riccardo Marogna, as well as two releases featuring bass player Gonçalo Almeida: his solo exploration Monólogos A Dois and Vistas by the Hydra Ensemble he is part of. Along with drummer Philipp Ernsting, Almeida is also one of the instigators of the recently founded AIM, a collective of improvisers creating opportunities for experimentation, research and performance, based in Rotterdam. Almeida is a partner of these two musicians in the ferocious trio Albatre (as well as a few others), which effortlessly closes the gap between brutality and imagination.
This duo effort resides in another realm. The sax/drums format is one of the most dynamic in the world of improvised music. The musicians can conform to their traditional roles, but just as easily, saxophone players can revert to percussive strategies, while drummers can work with textures or even melodic approaches. Compare the work of, for instance, John Coltrane & Rashied Ali, Dewey Redman & Ed Blackwell, Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love, Evan Parker & Paul Lytton or Colin Webster & Andrew Lisle (also featured on this label), and you will see. The possibilities are endless.
Hugo Costa, a Portuguese musician who is securely embedded in the Rotterdam scene, but still maintains connections to key Portuguese improvisers like Hernâni Faustino, Rodrigo Pinheiro, Luís Lopes and others, is an agile thinker and player, with rich resources at his disposal. Ernsting’s technique and volume can be colossal within Albatre, but he is also a thoughtful and nuanced player, shifting in and out of the jazz realm with careful aplomb. The Art Of Crashing is a welcome reminder of their individual and collective strengths, as these six improvisations combine inviting and challenging material that is obviously aware of a certain tradition, but avoids clear-cut patterns.
Just check out the dynamics of the three longer tracks, that veer from light-footed propulsion with carefully placed squeaks and plops and a dense pitter patter of accents, to passages full of organically developed, parallel tracks with high-pitched wails, serpentine lines and staccato hypnosis. Moments of abrasive introspection get alternated with a tangible flow of ideas, never settling for gratuitous violence. Also within the last two ‘shorter’ pieces, their imagination reigns, with a playful combination of approaches and sounds. Costa and Ernsting are assertive and confident players who don’t hesitate to claim their positions, but most of all, they are keeping up with each other, using their dialogue to explore and expand. And that is what it is about, a quest for ideas and a way for them to co-exist, make sense, keep the story moving forward on all levels. And as far as the greater story is concerned: this album is another fine addition to an endlessly fascinating mosaic of sounds.
Guy Peters 2022
