By David Cristol
Days 8 → 10 (See part 1, part 2)
Different strokes for different frogs
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| Shane Parish. Photo Petra Cvelbar – Gulbenkian Música |
Alone in front of a large audience, looking even more relaxed than the previous evening, Shane Parish tunes his acoustic guitar. He begins with Ornette Coleman’s « Lonely Woman » which also opens the album Repertoire. The performance differs from the album version, in the way the theme is stated and where the accents are placed. Most of the pieces last around three minutes, sometimes less than two ; a couple are developed at greater length. The fingers sliding on the metal strings are very noticeable in the sound spectrum, to the point that they become part of the music. Parish’s style is crystal-clear, mostly without effects, except for two specific pieces. He has a consummate sense of pace, and a keen knack for audio storytelling. Each cover has a mood of its own, from the English ballad « She Moves Through the Fair » to Alice Coltrane’s « Ptah the El-Daoud » which isn’t on the album – a welcome surprise! The composition is stripped down to its basic shape and melody, without embellishments. The instinctive and elastic handling of dynamics reminds of blues players. Disarmingly simple tunes are intertwined with others more demanding for both player and listeners. Interpretations of Alice Coltrane’s « Journey in Satchidananda » (enriched with oriental ornaments, suiting the atmosphere of the original), Charles Mingus’s « Pithecanthropus erectus », « It’s you I like » by Fred Rogers, « Serenade to a cuckoo » by Roland Kirk, all make sense. Some tracks ask for a special tuning or detuning of the guitar. A standing ovation rewards the artist. As an encore he chooses « I’m going away », a fitting title to end a show with, in the Americana vein. We’re not getting Sun Ra’s twisted « Lights on a satellite » that closes the album. A pleasant aspect is the absence of style hierarchies, each composition chosen for a reason, whether it’s a melodic line that just sounds good, or a flexible blueprint that Parish sculpts as he sees fit.
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| Thumbscrew. Photo Petra Cvelbar – Gulbenkian Música |
It’s been a hot day, especially for musicians having a soundcheck outdoors in the middle of the afternoon, and bass player Michael Formanek, now of the Lisbon scene, appears focused on the scores. His partners are similarly absorbed. No introductory talk, no attempt at a connection with the audience, no presentation of the material. Only music, until the “end credits”. The compositions are shared between members of the group (each one a leader of other projects, and frequent allies in those), yet the sound is cohesive and belongs to Thumbscrew. Much of the same material as heard at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie in the winter (as part of the Marc Ribot-curated Reflektor weekend) is performed, but it doesn’t feel like a repeat. Not because the season and location are different, but because the compositions are played differently, a clue as to the trio’s modus operandi which is to push the music ever forward, with contempt for routine. We’re talking about some of the most endlessly inventive and skilled musicians of our time. After some guitar loops from Mary Halvorson, we get into the melodies (unorthodox as they may be) and forms. The pedal-triggered sound warps and varied techniques of Halvorson add an extra layer of challenge for listeners to grasp the already oddly organized contours. Drummer Tomas Fujiwara plays vibraphone on some pieces, changing the color of the trio in the process. Stellar solos are set to equally astute accompaniment. A fiery drums and guitar duo brings us onto unexpected noise territory. Each new piece proves equally surprising, no small feat for a jazz trio.
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| Elias Stemeseder. Photo Petra Cvelbar – Gulbenkian Música |
In the Grand Auditorium, more incredibleness awaits with the Austrian-German duet of Elias Stemeseder (harpsichord, p, elec), Christian Lillinger (dm) and a key third man in sound engineer Marco Pulidori to support and maybe expand on their album Antumbra. The venue is in complete darkness except for the stage. Strobing lights and projected abstractions prevent from taking notes ; all that’s left to do is to enjoy the trip. And a trip it is. The lighting and cyclorama projections make players and instruments in turn disappear and reappear in quick flashes. The visuals, courtesy of Lillinger, are made of vertical stripes, squares and other eye-confusing devices that would make Maurits Cornelis Escher proud. This is a dizzying, loss of orientation-inducing work. Are we in outer space or, on the contrary, hearing through a microscope ? How the duo can perform such uncommon and kinetic music is a challenge to understanding. Their working methods are opaque but it’s obvious that the achievement rests on their close relationship and agreement as much on their individual skills. Through a wide array of trebly keyboards and synths, and an innovative use of the drums, they have created a musical design of their own, which will be hard to imitate. Even their acoustic playing doesn’t sound of this world. Stemeseder explains : « We have six compositions, with possibilities to move things around ». Lillinger’s playing has a precision, coldness and rigidity that serves the duo’s purpose. He’s the Man-Machine, and technology struggles to keep up with him. When the curtains open to reveal the greenery behind the stage, we’re stunned to see it’s still daytime, having lost track of time, wrapped in the duo’s galactic soundworld.
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| Patricia Brennan Septet. Photo Petra Cvelbar – Gulbenkian Música |
And now for something completely different. Yet, with some minimal digging, connections can be found. Both Mark Shim (ts) and Adam O’Farrill (tp) have taken part in the Stemeseder-Lillinger universe, the first one on the Antumbra album, the second in a live performance by the duo at the Bezau Beatz festival a couple of days before the Lisbon date. For her first tour as a leader in Europe and oozing more energy than Tesla, Vera Cruz-born Patricia Brennan (rippling vibraphone with electronics) leads a septet of six men plus herself. The line-up is the same as on the lauded Breaking Stretch album, except for Dan Weiss on drums (replacing Marcus Gilmore) and Cuba’s Keisel Jimenez on percussions (that include sacred bata drums) instead of Mauricio Herrera. Kim Cass on bass and the ubiquitous Jon Irabagon (alto & sopranino saxophones) round out the group. Brennan’s latin-jazz isn’t necessarily avant-garde, but her drive and jubilant arrangements are hard to resist and the players are solid gold. The leader’s mallets double as conductor’s batons.
This is for the most part percussion-heavy, hot, danceable music. The front line of horns play unisons and entwined lines on top of the rhythm workouts. A piece is nostalgia-tinged but still dynamic. « Earendel – the Morning Star » refers to Brennan’s passion for astronomy, the main source of inspiration for her next album, Of the Near and Far. On tenor, Shim seems to channel the ghost of Joe Henderson, which should come as no surprise since Shim’s early albums included covers of 1960s Blue Note tunes by Henderson and other young giants of the era. After a few days of brain-boggling music, this was the feasty ending we needed.