Unknown to
me, this young British free jazz band brings a remarkably mature and highly
enjoyable record. Led by Philip Somervell on piano, the band consists of Chris
Williams on alto saxophone, Joe Egan on trumpet, Colin Somervell on double
bass, and Vasilis Sarikis on drums. The music is built around themes that sound
like 60s free jazz, think Ayler or even Coleman, but the music also has this
typical European or even British free improv sound, with the major difference
that Philip Somervell's piano-playing often acts as a soothening factor, like
cream in soup, or a softening factor to counterbalance the once in a while
sharp edges. This mix between composed and free moments works very well, both
within the tracks, but it is also mirrored in the CD's structure, with long
pieces alternated with shorter totally free improvisations. And it must be
said: the compositions themselves are great and will be appreciated by the more
mainstream lovers, while the free-er parts can really go wild. An interesting
blend, full of power, intensity and lyricism. Great band. Great music. Highly
enjoyable.
On a side-note : the nice art work gives a good representation of the black and
white contrasts used in the music, as well as the combination of the abstract
and the figurative.
Listen to samples on MySpace.
http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/
AIDA SEVERO –AIDA SEVERO
Label:Slam
Release
Date:2008
Tracklist:Hunter Gunter; Williams/Egan; Doce Ocho;
Somervell/Somervell/Sarikis; Untitled; Williams/Somervell/Sarikis; For Bruno S
Personnel:Chris Williams: alto sax; Joe Egan: trumpet;
Philip Somervell: piano; Colin Somervell: double bass; Vasilis Sarikis: drum‘Aida Severo’ alternates ensemble
material built around pianist Philip Somervell’s jazz-flavoured compositions
with shorter free improvisations for smaller combinations of musicians within
the group. The Brotherhood-of-Breath-tinged melody of ‘Hunter Gunter’ evolves
into some raucous collective improvisation, spurred by Chris Williams’ alto
sax, and climaxing about four minutes in with Joe Egan blowing fast, brash
figures. From there the mood changes, Egan taking a solo which builds in burred
tones over quiet, inquisitive bass, Somervell’s piano rising in volume to usher
in another climax and to spark a new section, possessing intensity of a
different kind, as piano and drums skitter around the woody thrum of a bass
solo before roiling chords bring back the acclamations of the melody.
Following this comes the first of the free improvisations, a duet between Williams and Egan, which finds them mostly
working complementary lines, ranging into faster flights but staying mostly in
the fairly subdued mood with which they end. ‘Doce Ocho’ is another fine
composition by Somervell, alternating a delicious, almost classically-flavouredmoto perpetuopiano figure with a unison theme whose rhythmic and harmonic flavour seems fairly typical of much modern British jazz
(think Guy Barker, Gerard Presencer, and the like). Saxophone multiphonics and
sliding bowed bass initiate a creakily mysterious feel for an initially
drumless group improvisation; when the drums do enter, Somervell’s piano
becomes more skittish, though there is still plenty of space left during
another solo by Egan, whose gruff, mid-range tone seems to owe something to
Bill Dixon. A piano solo switches between jazz rhythms and rolling, quick-fire
repetitions, ending on a series of repeated chords. The long, dying
reverberations of the sustain pedal cue in a repeat of the composed material.
A free improvisation for the ‘rhythm
section’ finds Somervell in discursive mood, staying within the lower to mid
range of the keyboard, his brother plucking a steady but ambiguous course
underneath, Sarikis contributing slowly emerging cymbal strokes and light taps
which rise and fall along complementary melodic axes.
The next composition is ‘Untitled’,
consisting of a song-like but slightly tricksy melody stated by bright,
optimistic saxophone and trumpet over the darker hues of a unison piano and
bass vamp. In terms of colour and harmony, this comees across rather like Miles
Davis’ 1960s Quintet with Herbie Hancock: at one point, Somervell plays what
sounds like a direct Hancock quote, and Egan’s trumpet, though venturing down
into some lower-register growls, is much more within traditional jazz
parameters here than elsewhere on the disc. It’s pretty and expertly executed –
there can’t really be any complaints with that. The final improvised piece is
also the shortest, and provides an immediate contrast: frantic altissimo saxophone,
drums and piano going for it full tilt, with a nicely controlled conclusion
keeping things concise.
Though it might not be immediately
clear from the scratchy opening, ‘For Bruno S’ is the disc’s ballad, and I
assume it’s dedicated to the actor who starred in Werner Herzog’s ‘The Enigma
of Kaspar Hauser’ and ‘Stroszek.’ Somervell’s melody is again a fine one, the
man himself laying down some lovely chord progressions, the thing unfolding in
a wistfully musing atmosphere, combining a certain aspect of melancholy with a
more optimistic sense of beauty and contentment. The freer aspects, heard
particularly in Egan’s trumpet playing, build on and move beyond this mood
without destroying it: passion within the bounds of an adaptable but clear structural
framework. It’s a lovely way with which to end what is, throughout, a very
pleasurable listen. (David
Grundy) http://eartripmagazine.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/eartrip-issue-5/)
Aida Severo is a fairly standard quintet line-up with two horns fronting a piano trio, but on (3)they push out at the edges of freedom. The four compositions are all by pianist Philip Somerveil, and he has heard his Ornette Coleman, as the joyful bouncing melodies of "Hunter Gunter" and "Doce Ocho" show. Altoist Chris Williams favors the lower register and has a honking Blues tenor approach, while Joe Egan's trumpet is warm and fleet, often dominating the group sound. The four longer compositions are separated by short improvisations that break up the quintet into various duos and trios. Because they lack the cohesion of the composed work, they function more as interludes to the "serious" work of the group. Enjoyable open eared Jazz here, but not really essential. Phillip McNally Cadence July 2009.
AIDA SEVERO
Pianist Philip Somervell, with alto saxophonist Chris Williams, bassist Colin Somervell, trumpeter Joe Egan and drummer Vasilis Sakiris came together for a day's recording at Trinity College, London with the desire to document both a number of Philip's pieces, but also to record in an unfettered environment where they felt able to play without the constraints of formal structure. Seven cuts of spontaneous abandonment were the result and an anarchic joy fills each piece. Springboard harmonic moments, such as the keyboard motif in Doce Oco, add balance and direction to the project to ensure varied listening. Liberating and fulfilling.
Musician December 2008.
Cinque in incognito SLAMCD 275 di Vittorio LoConte
Arriva dall´Inghilterra un giovane quintetto di musicisti che hanno ben lavorato per presentare in forma originale le loro riflessioni sulla libertà e su quello che è il genere free. I brani si srotolano lungo il disco con esecuzioni in quintetto o in altre formazioni, ognuno con una sua logica, un´idea dietro, che danno coerenza all´intero svolgimento. "Hunter Gunter" che apre il disco lo fa con un´aria da fanfara, che ci riporta alla lontana alle atmosfere ayleriane, se non che poi l´esecuzione ci mostra altre idee: il sax alto di Chris Williams dallo stile vocale e la tromba di Joe Egan innamorata delle note basse, di suoni graffiati che spuntano a sorpresa nel contesto. A seguire un duo, senza accompagnamento, dei suddetti musicisti, conciso ed elegante. Con "Doce Ocho" siamo su un´altro tipo di composizione, scritta, come tutte quelle per il quintetto, dal pianista Philip Somervell. L´atmosfera del tema è di tipo europeo e lascia immaginare degli arpeggi cantabili, ed invece no, tutto va a pezzi e si va su territori che appartengono al genere creativo, ben arrangiati e strutturati, senza troppe libertà di distruggere il presupposto di partenza. A seguire la ritmica da sola, con accanto al pianista Colin Somervell al contrabbasso e Vassilis Sankis alla batteria. Un pianismo astratto, più memore di Paul Bley che di Cecil Taylor, molto suggestivo, così come lo è l´"Untitled" che segue, forse il momento migliore dell´album, per il tema, gli ispirati assoli,la compattezza dell´esecuzione. A chiudere un breve trio per piano, sax e batteria, arrabbiato e feroce e poi il cambio di atmosfera, la ballad di "For Bruno S." eseguita con toccante partecipazione. Il disco del giovane quintetto inglese è un´interessante scoperta, in cui la libertà di esecuzione viene sottoposta ad una sapiente opera di strutturazione.
Musicboom.it 14/12/08
