I've never heard before of Ed Ricart but the idea of the quartet with guitar and trumpet on the
fron immediately caught my attention. And this particular quartet in equally immediate way reward
the attention with the storming rock energy of "Celestial Mechanics" with its heavy riffs, dense
grooves and refreshing spontaneity.
The following "Eurypterids" starts minimalistically with abstract sharp notes of guitar and but
developes into full-level noise cutting-edge exploration with all four instruments contributing
to this wonderfully loud universe. There's some more minimalistic experimentalism in "Truth",
with its strange delay effects and thin tin sound of trumpet. And more gutt-wrenching and
noise-bending in the abyss of low drones on the bass and guitar pyrotechnics where the notes
get literally squeezed out of the strings, with some colourfull, dynamic and polyrhythmic
drumming on the top and air-cutting trumpet flies as in "Abilene" or "Dermatoglyphics".
The music is noisy, psychodelic, raw and wild, but the latter tracks have its more mellow
moments of thoughtfull silence and echo ("The Sun's in Your Face" with is lyrical guitar
intro that gets distorted and disturbed with delay effects and disturbing noises somewhere
around, "Wake Up" with cosmic, spacious echoes and disturbing drones). There's an unlisted
bonus track to finish the cd with short outburst of apocalyptic energy.
This quartet plays some seriously heavy music, improvised yet cohesive, noisy yet focused,
raw and uncompromising. Fabulous plaing all around by the four musicians, immaginative,
creative and adventurous. Enjoy loudly.
http://jazzalchemist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/edward-ricart-quartet-ancon-slam.html
The eight freely improvised pieces on this record demonstrate a dynamic group
with a powerful, confident sound, as performed by guitarist Ricart, trumpeter
Herb Robertson, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Andrew Barker. Squidco
EDWARD RICART QUARTET / Ancón (SLAM Productions)
Une autre solide session d'improvisation libre parue chez Slam. Ed Ricart est guitariste -
je ne le connaissais pas avant d'entendre ceci. Il est accompagné du bassiste Jason Ajemian,
du batteur Andrew Barker et du célèbre trompettiste Herb Robertson. Ricart vole gracieusement
la vedette - son de guitare a un "twang" qui me plaît beaucoup, surtout dans "Wake Up" qui
conclut l'album sur un bourdon insistant de contrebasse. "Eurypterids" est également fascinante.
Another strong free improvisation session out now on SLAM Productions. Ed Ricart is a guitar
player - I don't think I've heard him before. He is playing here with bassist Jason Ajemian,
drummer Andrew Barker, and renowned trumpeter Herb Robertson. Ricart steals the show, but he
does so graciously. I just love the twang in his guitar sound, especially in the bass
drone-dominated album closer "Wake Up." And "Eurypterids" is a fascinating ride.
François Couture http://blog.monsieurdelire.com/2012/05/2012-05-04-erblonberg-holm-barcode.html
Ohio-based guitarist, Ed Ricart, has already played with an impressive
cross-section of America's contemporary creative music community, from
William Hooker to members of Tortoise. In fact, those two examples provide
a pretty good clue to the feel of his quartet's debut, which sits somewhere
between free-jazz and improvised out-rock. At one extreme, tracks like
‘Eurypterids' dabble in nervous, fidgety Improv and abstract Noise –
with guitar effects providing whooshing sci-fi soundscapes – building
to a muscular free-crunch thanks, largely, to Andrew Barker's powerfully
insistent drums. At the other end of the spectrum, tunes like the opening
number ‘Celestial Mechanics' – hung on a deep, fluid, spontaneously
generated rhythm-section groove – allow the band to dig into bullish,
Scorch Trio-esque free-fusion, topped off with stinging lead guitar and
Herb Robertson's high, alien trumpet trill. It's as compact and
maneuverable as an all-terrain moon-buggy, and a really convincing
blast-off from a rising young guitar star.
Daniel Spicer Jazzwise.
EDWARD RICART QUARTET With HERB ROBERTSON/JASON AJEMIAN/ANDREW BARKER
- Ancon (Slam 529; UK) The ER Quartet feature Ed Ricart on guitar,
Herb Robertson on trumpets, Jason Ajemian on bass and Andrew Barker
on drums. Ed Ricart is a Philly-based guitarist who has worked with
Marshall Allen, William Hooker and Tatsuya Nakatani. I believe that
this is Ed's debut disc as a leader and he has put together a strong
Downtown all-stars quartet. Although this disc is a fully improvised
date, the playing is completely focused and consistently inspired.
Mr. Ricart and Mr. Robertson well worth together, playing off of one
another, exchanging licks and lines. For "Eurypterids" the quartet
launch off the freer regions of outer space with some wailing lines
of guitar and crazed trumpet and/or toys with bits of vocalized
weirdness adding some seasoning from time to time. It sounds as if
most of these pieces were edited down or selected from longer jams
thus presenting some more focused and successful sections before
things go in for too long in one direction. When I concentrate on the
entire quartet, I hear a great deal of inventive playing by all four
members and interplay between everyone involved. We haven't heard
from Gold Sparkle Band's ace drummer Andrew Barker recently so it is
great to hear him pushing the intensity up a few notches throughout.
Herb Robertson is senior member of the Downtown community and remains
an unstoppable force, digging into his large bag of tricks & sounds,
soloing like demon unleashed or just adding those unexpected odd
nuggets to the brew. I've been noticing up & coming guitarist Ed
Ricart's name and playing more & moreover the past few years and I
glad to hear him as a strong new voice on the guitar. A excellent
debut from a colossal quartet! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music
Gallery
Ancón è la cittadina panamense in cui Edward Ricart è nato nel 1984. Dopo aver studiato a Praga con Tony Ackerman, nel 2006 il chitarrista si è quindi trasferito negli Stati Uniti (attualmente vive nell'Ohio), collaborando fra gli altri con i vari Marshall Allen, Marty Ehrlich, Ralph Alessi, Khan Jamal, Peter Brötzmann, Dominic Duval, ecc.
In questa che ci risulta essere la sua opera prima, Ricart dirige un quartetto di tutto rispetto in cui spicca la tromba di Herb Robertson, il quale gioca un ruolo decisivo soprattutto nella prima parte del lavoro, la più vivace, imprevedibile (e convincente), laddove i brani conclusivi tendono a farsi più esangui, atmosferici, quasi minimali, qua e là anche un tantino evanescenti.
Benché in copertina si dichiari la natura totalmente improvvisata della musica, l'iniziale, ampio "Celestial Mechanics," fra le vette del disco, possiede il rigore e la consequenzialità di un brano composto (in effetti l'esatto termine usato è "composizioni spontanee"), in possesso di una corporeità che si fa quasi visceralità nel successivo, altrettanto riuscito, "Eurypterids," oltre tutto in crescendo di tensione. Decisamente più astratto ma comunque nervoso, il più breve (ed elettronico) "Truth" precede il quasi rumoristico "Abilene," svolto nel segno di chitarra e batteria. Parte invece perentorio (con qualcosa che ricorda Tim Berne, di cui del resto Robertson è sodale storico) "Dermatoglyphics," con molta carne al fuoco e quartetto al completo.
Dopo un nuovo episodio piuttosto tirato, come accennato la temperatura va un po' scemando, e così pure la centralità della tromba. È il trio con la chitarra inpole positiona dettare le successive circonvoluzioni, benché, dopo l'etereo "The Sun's In Your Face," un sicuro corpo animi l'incipit del conclusivo "Wake Up," che tende però poi a stirarsi, con accenti quasi allucinati, ipnotici, fino al silenzio totale che prelude, dopo ampia pausa, a una rapida nona traccia fantasma (non indicata in copertina) dalle tinte quasi livide, fino all'ingresso saettante della tromba, che disegna una fulminea chiusura in solitudine. Lavoro senz'altro degno di nota.
Alberto Bazzurro http://italia.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=7636
TRANSLATION:
Ancon is the Panamanian town where Edward Ricart was born in 1984.After studying in Prague with Tony Ackerman, in 2006 the guitarist was then moved to the U.S. (currently living in Ohio), working among others with various Marshall Allen, Marty Ehrlich, Ralph Alessi, Jamal Khan, Peter Brötzmann, Dominic Duval, etc..
In this there appears to be his first work, Ricart directs a quartet of all respect on which stands the trumpet of Herb Robertson, who plays a decisive role in the first part of the work, the most lively, unpredictable (and convincing), where the songs tend to be more conclusive bloodless, atmospheric, almost minimalist, here and there a little faint.
Although the cover is fully state the nature of improvised music, the initial, large "Celestial Mechanics," between the peaks of the disc, has the rigor and consistency of a piece composed (in fact the correct term is "spontaneous compositions "), in possession of a corporeality that is almost visceral in the next, equally successful," Eurypterids, "above all on a high voltage.Decidedly more abstract but still nervous, the shortest (and electronic) "Truth" precedes the most noisy "Abilene," in the sign of guitar and drums.Part rather peremptory (with something reminiscent of Tim Berne, of which Robertson is the rest of the town close friend) "Dermatoglyphics," with many irons in the fire and the full quartet.
After a new episode rather than pulled, as mentioned, the temperature goes a bit 'waning, and so is the centrality of the trumpet.It is the trio with a guitar inpole positionto dictate the subsequent convolutions, though, after the ethereal "The Sun's In Your Face," a safe body minds the opening words of the concluding "Wake Up," but then that tends to stretch, with accents almost hallucinatory, hypnotic, which is a prelude to total silence, after lengthy pause, fast ghost ninth track (not shown on the cover) by almost livid colors, darting up to the entrance of the trumpet, which draws a swift end in solitude .Jobs certainly worthy of note.
Di recente George Haslamha prodotto per la sua Slam Productions
musicisti inglesi ed italiani. Fa le sue ultime produzioni arriva ora un
agguerrito quartetto americano guidato dal chitarrista
Edward Ricart insieme aJason Ajemianal basso eAndrew Barkeralla
batteria. Alla tromba c´è il grandeHerb
Robertson, che molti ricorderanno per le sue collaborazioni
in Italia con il batterista Tiziano Tononi.
La musica del quartetto è ricca di umori e passioni, fra l´acustico
delle tromba, dal suono molto vocale, e le elettroniche che a tatti
scaturiscono dalla ritmica, o la chitarra straziata del leader che
aggiunge effetti di psichedelicità spaziale qua e là, mentre altrove
riscopre l´anima più hendrixiana, come nei primi due brani dell´album.
Il tutto è improvvisato all´istante, senza scrittura, senza elaborazione
di grafici e o di idee a priori. In studio alSeizures
Palacesi è andati alla ricerca di qualcosa, realizzatasi
in una onda di natura elettrica, l´incontro virtuale tra uno che dalla
chitarra tira fuori spesso l´anima aggressiva ed una tromba che svetta
fra acuti e note dall´aspetto rauco, stanco, in un approccio fisico e
corporale alla musica. Non mancano le note più tranquille: unThe
Sun's In Your Faceche sembra uno stordimento sotto il sole cocente.
Li si apprezza per questa sincerità, per la realtà vissuta che sono in
grado di trasmettere. Niente di edulcorato o di farraginoso. Li si
apprezza o li si odia. Di sicuro non si resta indifferenti.
Vittorio La Conte http://www.musiczoom.it/?p=4927
TRANSLATION
Recently,George Haslamhas produced for his SLAM ProductionsItalian and English musicians.It's his latest production now comes a
fierce American quartet led by guitaristEdward RicartwithJason Ajemianon bass andAndrew Barkeron drums.The trumpet is the greatHerbRobertson, whom many remember for his collaborationsin Italy with drummer Tiziano Tononi.The music of the quartet is full of moods and passions, including the soundof the trumpet, sounding very vocal, and electronic contacts thatarise from the rhythm guitar or torn the leader who adds psichedelicità effects of space here and there, elsewhererediscovering the soul more Hendrix, as in the first two tracks on the album.Everything is improvised instantly no writing, no processingof graphics and or ideas in advance.In the study ofseizuresPalacehas gone in search of something, which occurredin a wave of electrical nature, the virtual meeting between someone from theguitar brings out the soul is often aggressive and a horn that standsbetween acute and harsh-looking notes , tired, in a physical approach andbody to music.Do not miss the quieter notes: aTheSun's In Your Facethat looks stunning in the hot sun.We appreciate you sincerely for this, for the lived reality that areable to transmit.Nothing could be toned down or cumbersome.They willappreciate them or you hate it.Certainly no one is indifferent.