Brandon Seabrook & Simon Nabatov: Voluptuaries

  The on-line Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Voluptuaries as people “whose chief interests are luxury and the gratification of sensual appetites.” Those “sensual appetites” surely include the deep pleasures of making purely improvised music, and Brandon Seabrook & Simon Nabatov take a day of recording at Köln’s well-regarded LOFT to prove the point. Since his 2003 debut on John Zorn’s Tzadik label, guitarist Seabrook has recorded with a broad range of sonic explorers, including trumpeter Peter Evans, alto saxophonist Jeremy Udden, bassist Ben Allison, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. Pianist Nabatov, who made his first record in a trio with bassist Ed Schuller and drummer Paul Motian back in 1986, when Seabrook was just a couple of years old, has an impressive résumé that includes work with the likes of clarinetist Perry Robinson, trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti, trombonist Nils Wogram, and many others. There’s a relatively calm core to the pair’s improvisations for the first few pieces, as they grow accustomed to one another. The combination of Seabrook’s biting and unabashedly electrified guitar sound with his penchant for angular leaps between notes and plenty of silence gives an improvising partner plenty to work with - or against. By the time the raucous Squalid Simplicities rolls around, the sparring is aggressive and noisy. The ebb and flow of Foam is a highlight, as a detuned Seabrook and a pumped-up Nabatov chase one another in sound. The pianist takes the lead on Grosbeak with expansive chords and lush harmonies. Seabrook joins the fray with clipped tones and bursts of pure noise with plenty of pedal effects. As the disc proceeds, it’s obvious that Seabrook and Nabatov are thoroughly attuned to one another. Their quick reaction times and a shared sense of forward motion mean that the music always sounds like a genuine duet and not merely two players side by side with very little interaction. While it’s not the kind of music where the details will stay with you afterwards, it’s a thorough delight to listen to, from the fragmented call and response of Daggers to the startlingly beautiful title track that concludes the disc. Happily recommended. 

Leo CD LR 894; Brandon Seabrook (g) Simon Nabatov (p); Köln, Germany, November 4, 2019; Daggers/ Who Never Dies/ Dust Storms/ Fresnel Lenses/ Squalid Simplicities/ Foam/ Grosbeak/ Spirit of the Staircase/ Diamonds and Dust/ Vex Me/ La Femme Makita/ Voluptuaries; 48:37. www.leorecords.com

Akira Sakata, Simon Nabatov, Takashi Seo, & Darren Moore: Not Seeing Is A Flower

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