The international quartet of Akira Sakata, Simon Nabatov, Takashi Seo, & Darren Moore did a short tour of Japan, culminating in Not Seeing Is A Flower, a live recording made at Jazzspot Candy in Chiba, near Tokyo. The disc documents the first set and “abridged second set.” Given the explosive nature of saxophonist Sakata and pianist Nabatov, we would expect many boldly intense passages, and indeed by the five minute mark of Surge, the saxophonist is wailing, the pianist is pounding away, bassist Seo is contributing swirls of sound, and Moore is using his drums and cymbals to kick everything into a more frenetic and chaotic realm. But it’s not all so frenzied, as the collective mind of the quartet allows the music to ebb and flow in a natural fashion. The almost imperceptible shifts in tempo and attack result from the deep level of understanding that the musicians seem to have developed in a relatively short time on bandstands around Japan. Although the track titles indicate a certain attitude towards the music, divisions between “tunes” are rather arbitrary as the music just flows along. I could do without Sakata’s throaty shouts on Ritual, though it might have been fun to watch. I’m much more partial to his voluble reed work, like the roller-coaster ride of a clarinet solo he uncoils on Resolve. He’s working against Nabatov’s countermelodies, hurled out with great panache, Seo’s conversational bass, and the rollicking drums of Moore. The quartet brings the music to a quiet close, and a brief resolution. Abscond picks up where they left off, as a soaring Sakata, now on alto, slowly raises the heat to full boil. Not Seeing Is A Flower offers a largely satisfying program of free and unpredictable improvisations.
Leo CD LR 843; Akira Sakata (as, cl, vcl, perc) Simon Nabatov (p) Takashi Seo (b) Darren Moore (d, perc); Chiba, Japan, November 27, 2017; Surge/ Retreat/ Uncoil/ Ritual/ Resolve/ Abscond; 51:39. www.leorecords.com
No comments:
Post a Comment