With Native Acts, a new recording by Sunk Pöschl on
drums and percussion, Axel Dörner on trumpet and electronics,
and Emilio Gordoa on vibraphone, percussion, and electronics,
listeners find themselves, in the most unassuming and modest of
conditions, in the middle of free jazz history.
While not on the tip of every experimental listener’s tongue,
these musicians have played with damn near everyone. Don’t
believe me? How about a short list of Peter Brötzmann, William
Parker, Paul Lytton, Alexander von Schilppenbach, Evan Parker,
Harri Sjörström, and Silke Eberhard. That’s the truncated list.
Dörner himself has paired with Sven-Ake Johansson (the guy
played on Machine Gunfor goodness sakes) and John
Butcher so often these ensembles alone would fill out a resume.
While Gordoa hails from Mexico City, he spends a great chunk of
his time on the Berlin music scene. The other two musicians,
Dörner and Pöschl, originate from Cologne and Munich
respectively, forming Germany as the nexus of their collective
activity. The three men gathered in 2021 in Berlin for PANDA
Platforma, itself an intrepid power for experimental arts, and
recorded Native Acts for Trouble in the East Records,
which released the music some four years later on February 5,
2026.
The simplest way to say it is that this is a really strong
album. I found myself at times thinking there were four or five
instrumentalists, at other times, only one (or none at all!).
Silence, it seems, sits in as a fourth member of the group. The
opening piece, simply titled “Part 1” (there are nine total
works on this recording, all of which are pragmatically titled
“Part 1,” Part 2,” etc…), opens with quiet vibes, then a trumpet
altered by electronics, almost unobservably so, then one low
volume cymbal, and one soft drum hit. And then, in what is
characteristic of this album as a whole, a drop off into total
silence. The trio plays for a mere twenty seconds before
leaving the listeners with a solid seven seconds of silence.
This use of silence appears again and again. Try “Part 2,” for
example, during which the electronics rumble with bass more felt
in the stomach than heard in the ear, then a gathering of quiet
thunder, thwacking percussion, the sound of chimes or vibes
played close to the microphone and feedback like screeches arch
over the piece. Then at the 5:46 mark, total silence.
Quiet works often bring to my mind the word restraint,
but the musicians on this album never feel to me like they are
holding each other back. Actually the playing is absolutely
non-competitive. Sometimes the three instrumentalists play
vertical lines beside each other, sometimes a single player
assumes the lead while others play accompanying work in the
background, as Gordoa does around the 8:50 moment in “Part 2.”
And, just as Gordoa steps forward, he drifts quietly into the
back again allowing Dörner’s trumpet to take center stage before
he himself grows quiet as Pöschl’s drum work closes out the
work. Communion and close attention allow all members to thrive
in this music society.
This is not to suggest the recording is low on energy. Just
listen, for instance, to the first first four or so minutes of
“Part 7.” Silence quickly lurches into a topsy-turvy slapping
of percussion that itself grows into Dörner’s trumpet whipping
through the electronic air. The sound cuts in and out like
there is something wrong with your speakers, and by 2:20 things
are really cooking and the high energy is pushed forward,
forward, forward by Pöschl. Gordoa’s vibes soon assume a
leadership role again until at 3:30 Dörner’s trumpet holds a
single long note with an electric soup of sound beneath.
Close attention to the music really pays off on
Native Acts
, and despite this being a trio recording roughly 80 minutes
long, it feels so varied, awake, inventive and nuanced. I
really enjoyed becoming familiar with this album, and encourage
all sound travellers to check it out for themselves.