Shimosaki

CD - B-BOIM 027, Wien 2012

1. 40'00''

Ernesto Rodrigues - Viola

Radu Malfatti - Trombone

Ricardo Guerreiro - Computer

Recorded in September 2012 at Festival Música Viva, Lisbon

Cover design Radu Malfatti

https://ernestorodrigues.bandcamp.com/album/shimosaki

Reviews

Après un été finissant (Late Summer), Radu Malfatti, Ernesto Rodrigues et Ricardo Guerreiro, peignent les quarante (premières, peut-être) minutes d’un hiver qui commence (Shimosaki). Enregistrée en concert à Lisbonne le 20 septembre 2012, la pièce improvisée prône en conséquence l’oubli de l’automne.

C’est que l’instant et l’urgence qu’il commande se passent ici très bien d’intermédiaires – de saisons, donc, et puis de sons, de gestes – et même de toute chronologie (puisque Shimosaki fut enregistré avant Late Summer). A leur place, trouver quarante autres minutes de retenues, d’évocations plutôt que d’invocations, de réflexions troublées par une envie de tout dire dans la ligne, sinon dans l’effleurement. De là se laisse entendre une difficulté à être pleinement (le grave de Malfatti file en douce, l’alto de Rodrigues réagit dans un pincement, les larsens de Guerreiro s’interdisent tout attaque). Or, qu’ils semblent se répondre ou se fuient rondement, les sons que l’on attrape au vol composent un murmure qui, à force de dévisser, révèle l’étrange nature des mystères qu’il recèle. Guillaume Belhomme (Le Son du Grisli)


Autant prévenir tout de suite, c'est plutôt difficile d'écouter ce disque avant 21 heures quand on habite en ville ou dans n'importe quel environnement bruyant, surtout en suivant les recommandations de Malfatti, qui indique comme toujours que le disque est à lire "faiblement". Car le trio Ricardo Guerreiro (ordinateur), Radu Malfatti (trombone), Ernesto Rodrigues (violon alto), joue déjà très faiblement, et peu.
Shimosaki est une improvisation qui semble tout de même très influencée par Radu Malfatti, maître du minimalisme le plus radical. Un minimalisme plutôt modéré ici dans la mesure où il y a peu de répétitions et beaucoup de changements. On trouve de nombreuses sonorités utilisées ici (peut-être est-ce aussi dû cette fois à l'influence de Rodrigues), allant des cordes effleurées par les crins, des souffles à travers le trombone, des notes claires et précises, et des sinusoïdes. Ceci-dit, entre ces éléments joués à peine plus fort que les mouvements d'un public qu'on entend aussi bien, c'est surtout le silence qui est omniprésent durant cette improvisation de quarante minutes. Pas un silence total, mais un silence qui sépare chacune des interventions prises de manière individuelle. Même s'il y a souvent du son, chaque musicien prend une respiration très longue avant d'intervenir et on a rarement l'occasion d'entendre simultanément les trois improvisateurs - qui cherchent apparemment à se faire plus discrets les uns que les autres.
Une pièce aussi calme que radicale, jouée à un volume aussi faible qu'extrême. Ce n'est certes pas inattendu, mais la rencontre entre ces personnalités offre quand même une musique renouvelée et rafraîchie. Julien Héraud (ImprovSpheres)

Lisboa

CD - Creative Sources Recordings - CS232, Lisbon 2012

1. Alfama - 05'40''

2. Bairro Alto - 04'10''

3. Alcântara - 07'32''

4. Graça - 9'36''

5. Lapa - 9'46''

Ernesto Rodrigues – Viola

Guilherme Rodrigues - Cello
Lisa Ullén - Piano

D'incise - Laptop, Objects

Cyril Bondi - Bass Drum, Objects

Recorded in July  2012, Lisbon

Cover design D'incise

https://ernestorodrigues.bandcamp.com/album/lisboa

Reviews

This Creative Sources release offers a piquant blend of strings, percussion and electronics in a texture-driven assemblage of sound.

The five tracks presented here bring together Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Guilherme Rodrigues on cello, Lisa Ullen on piano, D’Incise on laptop and objects, and Cyril Bondi on bass drum and objects. The focus is on sound-as-such as it arises from the collective blend of all five musicians, rather than on individual instrumental voices. At any given time high- and low-frequency drones overlap with dissonant long tones on the strings; slow piano chords emerge half-veiled from behind a hollow curtain of metallic sound; rattling metal punctuates the quiet thrum of an electronic foundation. The sound takes on an almost autonomous quality relative to its sources; one can enjoy listening in a state that brackets out external associations in favor of an immersion in the pure physicality of the subtle changes in dynamics and timbre. Daniel Barbiero (Avant Music News)

According to hexagram 51 in the I Ching, "True quiet means keeping still when the time has come to keep still, and going forward when the time has come to go forward. In this way rest and movement are in agreement with the demands of the time, and thus there is light in life."

The Creative Sources release Lisboa is a sublime illustration of the ability to honor stillness. The five pieces were recorded by a powerhouse group of European improvisers: violist Ernesto Rodrigues and cellist Guilherme Rodrigues are from Portugal; pianist Lisa Ullén is from Sweden; and laptop and objects master D'Incise as well as drummer and objects master Cyril Bondi are from Switzerland. Yet on this recording, the group's power consists precisely in their ability to hold back, to wait with open ears and then step forward at the music's behest.

Recorded in Lisbon in January 2012, in a small studio with a grand piano and the warm Portugese night outside, Lisboa consists of five tracks that slip together so effortlessly, they feel like a comprehensive suite. The group creates a one-voice of gentle electronic doings — a few ghostly piano chords, some faraway booms, occasional remote bowing, bells here and there, a shifting family of drones, and various mysterious aural creatures born from electronic parents. Nothing is particularly loud or jarring; everything occurs in the range of the subtle and slow, and perhaps it is the tender pace of the suite that ultimately makes it so refreshing. This music is the opposite of hurrying: it uses time and sound in a way diametrically opposed to the great rush that humanity seems so intent upon.

Entering this recording feels like stepping into a faraway dream, a world gently haunted by vanishing sound. It's a timeless space of no reference, and as a result the music is immensely peaceful and pleasing. Lisboa is an elegant dance of cooperation, a bouquet of sound by electroacoustic masters — and thus there is light in life. Florence Wetzel (The Squid's Ear)

"Lisboa” sai-se melhor com as contribuições de D’Incise, Cyril Bondi, Lisa Ullèn e Guilherme Rodrigues, talvez porque mergulha ainda mais no factor som, explorando a intersecção das polaridades de frequências e até os bordões – muito raramente encontramos abordagens “drone” neste tipo de investimentos – numa gestualidade solta e até sedutora. Rui Eduardo Paes (Jazz.pt)

Lisboa est un enregistrement beaucoup plus récent (juillet 2012) qui est aussi très bien joué, mais qui peut aussi paraître un peu convenu. Ici sont présents une autre génération de musiciens avec Cyril Bondi à la grosse caisse et objets, d'incise à l'ordinateur et aux objets, Ernesto Rodrigues à l'alto, Guilherme Rodrigues au violoncelle et Lisa Ullén au piano.

Le quintet propose cinq pièces improvisées dans une tendance beaucoup plus "réductionniste" ici. Archets continus sur les cordes (alto, violoncelle et piano bien sûr), grosse caisse frottée avec des objets, nombreuses techniques étendues et nappes électroniques discrètes et ambient sont au menu de cette demi-heure de musique. La durée de ce disque est peut-être sa première qualité d'ailleurs. Non pas que ce soit chiant, mais c'est le genre de musique sur laquelle on peut difficilement rester concentrer plus longtemps. Juste le temps d'un concert en gros, mais pas plus. Car si c'est très bien joué (et je pense surtout à Bondi et d'incise qui sont les musiciens avec le plus de personnalité dans ce disque) c'est tout de même attendu et convenu je trouve. Ceci-dit, Lisboa reste un bon disque dans le genre, un disque avec de la personnalité, quelques trouvailles sonores engageantes, et une atmosphère singulière. Julien Héraud (ImprovSphere)

[...] And what fine way to start this task than to start with Lisboa, a short (36 minutes) CD featuring five free improvisations by four musicians I admire (the Rodrigues’s father and son, respectively on viola and cello; objects handlers Cyril Bondi and d’incise, who also form the duo Diatribes), and Lisa Ullen, a pianist I’m hearing for the first time. Highly delicate improvisations that appear to more like soundworlds of their own than pieces with a beginning, development, and conclusion. These players exhibit astounding listening skills. François Couture (Monsieur Delire)

Para este disco foram reunidos os músicos Cyril Bondi (percussão), D’Incise (electronic) e Lisa Ullén piano, além da dupla Ernesto e Guilherme Rodrigues (viola e violoncelo, pai e filho, respectivamente). Os nomes dos cinco temas que compõe o disco foram roubados aos bairros históricos de Lisboa: “Alfama”, “Bairro Alto”, “Alcântara”, “Graça” e “Lapa”. O disco foi gravado em Lisboa em 2012, por altura dos Santos Populares, o que talvez justifique o título do disco e dos respectivas faixas, mas que não se reflecte na música - Ernesto não abdica da coerência estética. O quinteto trabalha uma música focada no coletivo, soando quase como uma voz única. A união sonora é constante, raramente há desvios ao caminho comum traçado. Nuno Catarino (Bodyspace.net)

Orchestrated from strings, piano, percussives, laptop & objects, this quintet creates a complex collective voice from high- and low-frequency drones, dissonant long string tones, slow piano chords, metallic sounds, and rich electronics. (Squidco)

Three Rushes

CD – Creative Sources Recordings – CS227, Lisbon 2012

Katsura Yamauchi made a name for himself about ten years ago with the solo saxophone album, Salmo Sax, which established him as a leading figure among saxophonists involved in that period’s reductionist movement (Doneda, Bosetti, Denzler, etc.). There, we heard his very personal practice of playing in a stream near his home, immersing himself like a salmon swimming up river. That image colors my perception of this reemergence alongside Ernesto Rodrigues, who plays harp here, and Carlos Santos, on electronic synthesis. These two run the irreplaceable record label, Creative Sources (200 titles in its catalog!). The harp leaves a welcome space here, allowing an almost visual balance among the three musicians and their “floating music.” Carlos Santos’ iridescent and volatile sounds curl like networks of lines and signs on the surface of an imaginary stream that eddies among the stems of stylized branches evoked by Ernesto Rodrigues’ limping, trickling harp. In this context, Katsura Yamauchi’s weightless blowing takes on a new specificity. His manner of stripping and slowing the dynamics of his multiphonics will fascinate connoisseurs of the alternative saxophone. All the same, the group has its jerky moments. An anemic life slips in like a dream in a bare gallery hung here and there with familiar signs that resist understanding. But the musicians know how to bring character and a contained expressivity to the details of their improvisations at points where the listener’s attention may begin to fade. Beautiful work.

The two minds behind Creative Sources—a leading label in the renewal of musical forms in the world of improvisation—have collaborated with dozens of improvisers, researching and regularly renewing their approach and contributions as they find the perfect musical match with their successive partners. In this universe of radical, “abstract” and minimalist improvisation, that makes no concessions, their open approach and great adaptability merit underlining. The recordings they have made for Creative Sources over the years and the present trio show how to remain faithful to oneself while fully sharing the proposals of the other musicians they meet. Quite a rare accomplishment indeed.Young creators entering this musical path have plenty to learn from them.

JEAN-MICHEL VAN SCHOUWBURG

Translation by Wade Matthews

1. Scene1 - Cookie's Birth - 9'29''

2. Scene2 - Cookie's Role - 12'35''

3. Scene3 - Cookie's Departure - 11'08''

Ernesto Rodrigues - Harp

Katsura Yamauchi - Alto Saxophone

Katsura Yamauchi - Alto Saxophone

Carlos Santos - Computer

Recorded in July  2010, Lisbon

Cover design Carlos Santos

https://ernestorodrigues.bandcamp.com/album/three-rushes

Reviews

Big surprise: Portuguese viola player Ernesto Rodrigues is heard here... on harp! It’s the first time I hear him on anything else than viola. He is in the company of Japanese sax player Katsura Yamauchi and electronician Carlos Santos. Three Rushes is a short record (33 minutes) consisting of three free improvisations of the reductionist persuasion. Rodrigues approaches the harp like a sound source made to be struck, brushed and occasionally pinched. Rather dark pieces, dry, a demanding listen. This is not the most enriching music Rodrigues has committed to record. François Couture (Monsieur Délire)

Rodrigues once again on harp (and objects), Yamauchi on alto and Santos wielding computer and piezos. Nice, quiet improv in three parts. Rodrigues' harp work (first I've heard it, I think, on the recording above and this one) is well considered, more recognizable than one might expect (a good thing, in this context). Yamauchi is restrained as well, adding brief daubs of gentle color and Santos electronics tinge and tickle the canvas; all grays and tans with hints of pink and orange. It's very calm and enjoyable; nothing earthshaking but doesn't strive to be and that's fine. A good recording. Brian Olewnick (Just Outside)

Ernesto Rodrigues on the harp, which sound played more like an object by sudden and unexpected strokes, whose strings are just occasionally played in the conventional way, as they sound more whacked (so that they sometimes give the impression of breaking springs) than plucked, Carlos Santos' sonic creatures from computer and piezos which sometimes goe up to the surface like imaginary sea serpents with their threatening eclat and subtle crimping, Katsura Yamauchi, whose technique on saxophone hit the headlines of more demanding lovers of the so-called reductionist movement by his album Salmo Sax and integrates into the ensemble with muffled breathing, which sometimes look like puffs in the bottleneck, and temporary stews of melodic glimmers, improvised this amazing and somewhat estranging three rushes on the borders between noise and silence. Some moments could let you imagine a narcotized emotional tension which explodes by means of abrupt rashes, while they gradually interlace thin torn mantles. I found particularly catching the central and second of three tracks (they call them scenes), "Cookie's Role", for the cliff-hanger they managed to set, even if the third one, "Cookie's Departure", is quite rich of funny flaky disfigurations of respective instruments without turning the "thespian" aspect down. Vito Camarretta (Chain DLK)


L’enregistrement né de la rencontre d’Ernesto Rodrigues (ici à la harpe et aux objets), Katsura Yamauchi (saxophone alto) et Carlos Santos (ordinateur), n’excède que de peu la demi-heure. Ce sont là trois plages, trois scènes, et aussi trois fois trois « précipitations », trois fois trois « hâtes ».
Pas toujours virulent, le produit des opérations électroacoustiques abonde en souffles découpés, cordes tremblantes, qui traînent avant de disparaître quand les larsens et parasites en liberté persistent, eux. Car Santos ne ménage pas ses efforts, multipliant les déstabilisations électroniques d’un champ acoustique déjà perturbé. A force de mouvement, les instruments en présence vous ont assigné une place : cœur de cible que dessinent les trois anneaux de sons qu’ils ont enchassés. Guillaume Belhomme (Le Son du Grisli)

Three rushes est une courte suite de trois pièces improvisées par Ernesto Rodrigues à la harpe cette fois, Carlos Santos à l'électronique et Katsura Yamauchi au saxophone alto. Les trois pièces se ressemblent assez, il s'agit à chaque fois d'improvisations réductionnistes et minimalistes. Une musique toute en finesse, en délicatesse, poétique et subtile, parcimonieuse et attentive. Rien de très nouveau en somme mais j'aime beaucoup la harpe de Rodrigues, ses résonances disséminées à travers un espace éthéré, ainsi que l'aspect très espacé de ces improvisations. Un souffle, un bol tibétain, une courte sinusoïde, du bois frotté, une corde pincée, une légère note au saxophone, quelques bruits, ça fait bling - tsss - chhhh - tzzz - hmmm -et ça s'imbrique facilement. 

Trois rushes subtils et délicats, aux sonorités pures et audacieuses. Une musique calme, belle, aventureuse et sensible, comme seuls ces trois musiciens peuvent en produire. Un beau morceau de réductionnisme, sans nouveauté, mais qui est achevé et personnel. Julien Heraud (ImprovSphere)

One of the abiding tropes of documenting improvised music is the role of the recording as silent partner. Its role is to remain largely unnoticed, to recreate the live performance as faithfully as possible. Accordingly, many listeners tend to have some kind of a mental picture of the performance proceedings. One has a sense of the room, the instrumentation, the relative positions of the players.
One of the things that makes Three Rushes a special — and especially effective — recording is that this sense of a spatial locale is often missing. Or, when it is not missing, it is distorted. Acoustic sounds hover briefly in the foreground before they seem to twitch, then stretch at the edges, then morph into something less recognizable. It is something of a filmic effect. Haunting and surrealistic. Perhaps this is reflected in the tracks on the record being called "Scenes."
Electronic music's recording aesthetic tends to be less about documenting performance events. Perhaps it is fitting, then, that it is Carlos Santos' work with computers and electronics on this album that seems to be behind its pleasantly alien demeanor. "Electroacoustic" has become a familiar term lately, and has become something of a catchall phrase. However, this blended term seems more appropriate to a recording like this one, where the sonic elements are so deeply and effectively integrated. This synthesis of elements is so ingrained in this music that sometimes has more in common with composed music or soundtracks than other musics that fall under the category "improvised." A quiet, restrained approach to improvisation, associated with players like Rhodri Davies, John Butcher, and Bhob Rainey, is not new. But there is a seamless quality on tracks like "Scene1: Cookie's birth" that seems to transcend the genre. There is a less a feeling that the musicians are trying not to break the "keep it quiet" rule, and instead that they are all contributing just the right ingredients to the mix.
We get the most distinct flavor of the three players on "Scene2: Cookie's Role." Ernesto Rodrigues plays harp and objects, producing pleasantly junky rattles, buzzes, and cluster chords. Katsura Yamauchi, on alto, maintains the "small sounds" approach to saxophone throughout the album, his breathy wheezes only occasionally punctuated with slightly louder, sustained tones. Even on this track, though, Santos' electronic sounds set the scene, sometimes seeming to swirl around the acoustic players like a swarm of cicadas; other times fading-in ominous computer moans that subtly darken the music like clouds moving in.

This is quiet, subtle, and moody music; you'll need to look elsewhere for a fix of raucous, noisy improvisation. Wyman Brantley (The Squid's Ear)

Álbum em que Rodrigues tem a companhia de Katsura Yamauchi e Carlos Santos, “Three Rushes” transporta-nos por sua vez para um plano de maior proximidade, sendo nesta edição de assinalar a poética atmosfera de tonalidades escuras, não estranha aos preceitos de algum “soundscaping” electrónico e electroacústico. Rui Eduardo Paes (Jazz.pt)

Ernesto Rodrigues utiliza aqui (novamente) a harpa, acompanhado por Katsura Yamauchi no sax alto e Carlos Santos, parceiro regular, no computador/electrónica. Os três temas que correspondem a três cenas: “Cookie's birth”, “Cookie's role” e “Cookie's departure”. A música do trio é trabalhada, como habitualmente, de forma contida, precisa. A segunda faixa (“Cookie's role”) é paradigmática do trabalho do trio: a harpa é utilizada de forma pouco convencional, apenas pontualmente se reconhece o seu som tradicional; o saxofone de Yamauchi repete obsessivamente o mesmo som, de forma repetida; e Santos fornece um leve tapete textural, em fundo. Nuno Catarino (Bodyspace.net)

Creative Sources label leaders Carlos Santos on computer and Enresto Rodrigues on harp are joined by saxophonist Katsura Yamauchi, using unorthodox techniques to create a beautifully floating album of modern ea-improvisation. (Squidco)