Coluro

CD – Creative Sources Recordings – CS513, Lisbon 2018

1. I - 22'27''
2. II - 21'15''
3. III - 24'38''

Colectivo maDam

Ernesto Rodrigues - Viola
Ruben Gutierrez - Electronics & Objects
Tomás Gris - Acoustic Guitar

Guillermo Torres - Flugelhorn

David Area - Electronics

Miguel Mira - Cello

Recorded January 2018, Madrid

Cover design Carlos Santos

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

Reviews

Colectivo maDam — a loosely defined, electroacoustic improvising group from Madrid — is joined by Creative Sources mainstays Ernesto Rodrigues & Miguel Mira on Coluro, part of an ascending collaboration between these Madrid musicians & Rodrigues. Here the collective is represented by a quartet of Ruben Gutierrez (electronics, objects), Tomás Gris (acoustic guitar), Guillermo Torres (flugelhorn) & David Area (electronics). (One can e.g. also hear them as a quintet, i.e. those same four performers plus clarinet, on Fields Retro Coco Set, a relatively aggressive & animated album released by Ex Nihilo Records: There are other albums available there as well, in different configurations.) In May 2016, I had discussed Aleph, a quartet album on which Guilherme Rodrigues joins Area, Torres & Gris: Although I still approached those comments too much from the outmoded perspective of the "band" concept, rather than according to the more fluid forms defining these collectives, i.e. considering that different combinations tend to occur on different albums, rather than forging a stable lineup, the comment about an ecology of balance & restraint (& even gravity) remains appropriate. Indeed, whereas I was referring to geometric aspects of the sound stage & pitch gamut, and the manner in which they are spanned or framed, concepts of gravity would appear to reenter here via a(nother) quasi-"space" theme: Coluro is an old term referring to celestial coordinates, as reflected in the cover diagram. (Whereas "space" has not been my favorite theme, to say the least, and despite the electronics here, Coluro does not feature anything like a traditional "futuristic" spacey sound. The collective sound world it constructs is very much its own, although a sense of geometric spanning, including across regimes of timbre, does apply.) As with many (e.g. Lithos) — but certainly not all (e.g. Tactile) — recent Creative Sources releases, the relatively plain & seemingly hand-drawn cover — even suggestive of rough parchment paper, which it does not actually use — also projects a "do it yourself" ethos: Such an ethos would seem to fit the performers' approach more generally, including to their instruments, particularly the electronics, which are presumably homemade. The plain cover then suggests little of the rich creativity of the interactions themselves, let alone the creative construction efforts coming prior to this particular instance.... (One might also compare the pairing of electronics performers within a larger, half acoustic, ensemble to e.g. Thanos Chrysakis projects such as Skiagraphía — on which Rodrigues also participates — & Carved Water, which presents perhaps the most similar set of sounds. And whereas the latter also suggests a spatial quality via its "installation" approach, the former is more about cultivating a mysterious center via wave-like continuity.) Despite its own idiosyncratic invocation of space, then, Coluro might actually be said to project an earthy quality, including as reflected in the coloring of its package.... By way of continuing history, the participation of maDam members on Aleph was followed by Creative Sources releases Chorismos (on which Ernesto Rodrigues plays harp, joining Gris & Area in a trio) & Hápax (a different quartet formation without either Rodrigues) in 2017: The latter is a somewhat formless affair suggesting distant radio signals, whereas the former is more pointillistic. In turn, Coluro is much more elaborate & colorful, with subtle electronics configuring & responding to various contrasting plucks, clunks, rattles, rubs & flutters. The sound is almost immediately engaging, lively & with contrasting sonorities across a broad textural range, with good presence & even the occasional ringing tone. (Unusually, the album is also mixed — by David Area — to have excellent presence on small travel speakers. This surprised me, but it's a welcome option. Of course it's more spacious on better speakers....) Moreover, Coluro is a very substantial album, with three twenty-plus minute tracks totaling well over an hour, recorded on consecutive days in Madrid in January, the first track live, and the next two in a studio venue. Although they use similar combinations of sounds, each track constructs its own world, which comes to a full halt upon conclusion: Each track thus seems to provide an entire album of experiences by itself, such that one might even speak of a double or triple album.... (At times, the third track turns to some very high pitches, recalling e.g. Wade Matthews & Primary Envelopment, which takes something of a similar spanning approach to the very high & very low gamut. Indeed, the pacing & investigations of the maDam approach are clearly inspired by Matthews, while engaging an even richer tapestry of sounds & contrapuntal interactions. So these styles continue to evolve & do so rapidly....) There's palpable tension arising from a kind of disinterested or restrained aggressiveness, sometimes with a pulsing momentum, occasionally with distorted versions of animal (e.g. dog) calls or squealing metal amid various resonances, some repetitive ticks, a variety of string technique, maybe some dripping water or a few sirens... the result leaves the typical pop culture ear worm far behind. In this (very welcome & practical!) trait, Coluro recalls e.g. Ramble & its triple horn acoustic quintet lineup, Sediment before it (albeit there with a quasi-linear sense of process, rather than spatial spanning as here), and especially Nashaz, which also presents a similar range of sounds & interactions, albeit with only minimal electronics: In each case, one finds an elaborate articulation of complex timbres, different speeds of attack, whether percussive or breathy, and an energetic quality seeming to arise from (sometimes subtle) dissonance itself. Especially in the latter case (which evokes more "mystery") — as well as on Coluro — the balance itself drives a kind of dynamism, the concrete "do it yourself" industrial evocations both yielding to & surrounding various natural invocations (which come only at a distance, but are not derived from external samples, at least as far as I can tell): In short, Coluro constructs a highly mediated (& largely indoor) contemporary world of timbral counterpoint, and does so from an unusual & understated sextet configuration that seems to proclaim that more developments will be arriving soon.... Despite (& perhaps because of) that latter sense, Coluro cannot be ignored now, making it perhaps the album of the year in this space thus far. 2 July 2018. Todd McComb's Jazz Thoughts

The Spanish free improvising quartet Colectivo maDam of Ruben Gutierrez on electronics, objects, Tomas Gris on acoustic guitar, Guillermo Torres on fluguelhorn, and David Area on electronics are joined by Lisbon improvisers Ernesto Rodrigues on viola and Miguel Mira on cello for this 3-part work, the first recorded live at Espacio B, Madrid, the 2nd & 3rd recorded in the studio. (Squidco)

For Cecil Taylor

CD – Creative Sources Recordings – CS527, Lisbon 2018

1. I - 06'19''
2. II - 09'23''
3. III - 25'17''
4. IV - 13'23''

NEW THING UNIT

Ernesto Rodrigues - Viola
Paulo Alexandre Jorge - Tenor Saxophone
Eduardo Chagas - Trombone

Manuel Guimarães - Piano

Miguel Mira - Cello

Pedro Santo - Drums

Recorded March 2018, Lisbon

Cover design Carlos Santos

https://ernestorodrigues.bandcamp.com/album/for-cecil-taylor

Reviews

“For Cecil Taylor” was recently released on April. Remarkable and interesting album was recorded by “New Thing Unit” – it’s Ernesto Rodrigues (viola), Paulo Alexandre Jorge (tenor saxophone), Eduardo Chagas (trombone), Miguel Mira (cello), Manuel Guimarães (piano) and Pedro Santo (drums). All the compositions of this album are dedicated for great avant-garde jazz legend Cecil Taylor, which died on April 5, 2018. Cecil Taylor was a great and marvelous pianist and improviser. Through the years of his musical activity, he had created unique and interesting playing style and manner. All his improvisations were based onexpressive, vivacious and vibrant sound, were full of stunning musical experiments, strange noises, experimental ways of playing, turbulent and powerful culminations, expressive melodies and dynamic stylistic changes. All these elements were masterfully combined together in his improvisations. The music of Cecil Taylor was totally based on basic styles of avant-garde jazz. “New Thing Unit” music is full of various stylistic waves, has evocative and expressive sound, rich and vivacious musical language. Each musician is creative and outstanding improviser. Unique playing style, original and inventive musical decisions, specific and own playing techniques, experimental ways of playing and search of new timbres and sounds. The musicians are trying to create an extraordinary, unique and expressive sound. Their playing manner is especially expressive, bright and modern – it also has vibrant, interesting, contrasting and vivacious sound. The synthesis of avant-garde jazz and bebop, hard-bop, post-bop and other contemporary modern jazz intonations are gently combined together. The intonations of contemporary academical music, elements of various countries ethnic music, experimental music and academic avant-garde also are heard in the music of these musicians.

The music of this album has interesting and original sound. It’s based on collective improvisations, free structure, interesting musical experiments by each musician and striking and evocative musical language. All these elements help musicians to create interesting, vivacious, vivid and expressive sound. Each musician is improvising individually – the improvisations have its own character, are based on indepdndent musical decisions and specific playing manners. Saxophone improvisations by Paulo Alexandre Jorge have effective, expressive and vibrant sound. It’s full of dynamic and sudden stylistic changes and turns – improviser uses especially huge variety of traditional playing techniques and experimental ways of playing. The extraction of unusual and strange timbres is the main priority of the saxophonist. He’s making an effort to search and extract original and weird sounds and new ways of playing. His improvisations are expressive, vivid, vivacious and striking, mostly are based on abstract musical pattern and free form. Spontaneous and vibrant solos, sharp harmony, colorful timbres and sounds, expressive and vivacious melodic elements, rigorous and sharp blow outs and many other elements make an effort to whole sound of the album. Trombone improvisations by Eduardo Chagas are deep, nright and solid. Repetitive and monotonic bass line is highly contrasting with live, active, rapid and dynamic saxophone. Deep, soft and monotonic trombone tones are blended together with bright, expressive and aggressive solos, original and interesting ways of playing and unusual sounds. Manuel Guimarães piano improvisations are especially energetic, striking and touching. It’s full of passionate and virtuosic passages, colorful and rapid arpeggios, sharp and dissonance harmony, separate chords, which are based on unusual tones combinations, extended variety of playing techniques, expressions and other elements of musical language. Pianist playing is especially evocative and interesting – it’s also full of vibrant, sudden and colorful waves, turns, surprises and changes. Viola (Ernesto Rodrigues) and cello (Miguel Mira) improvisations bring the intonations academic avant-garde and experimental music. Though, the basics of their improvisations are the main elements of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation, both musicians are using many modern and experimental playing techniques of academic avant-garde and experimental music. That makes an effort to the marvelous and organic synthesis between avant-garde jazz, free improvisation and experimental music. Vibrant and effective solos, expressive and vivacious melodies, virtuosic passages, soft and subtle pizzicato, glissando and many other similar playing techniques are combined together with experimental and specific ways of playing. Pedro Santo drums section is colorful and dynamic. Various rhythms of avant-garde and modern jazz styles are connected together with spontaneous, turbulent and free solos, colorful percussion timbres, extended playing techniques, huge range of expressions, dynamics and other elements of musical language. All musicians are improvising expressively and passionately- their music has remarkable and interesting sound. (Avant Scena)

As recently suggested amid extensive comments on 0 minutes and 0 seconds earlier this month, Ernesto Rodrigues tribute albums do not tend to be straightforward or derivative — and might even be confusing — as is the case (once again, perhaps) for the recent For Cecil Taylor (recorded in Lisbon this past March) by a sextet named New Thing Unit: Rodrigues (viola), Paulo Alexandre Jorge (tenor saxophone), Eduardo Chagas (trombone), Manuel Guimarães (piano), Miguel Mira (cello) & Pedro Santo (drums). I had already noted the participation of Chagas when discussing Meandros e Vertentes, and of course Mira appears on so many albums with Rodrigues.... Jorge & Guimarães hadn't appeared in this space previously, but both have prior albums on Creative Sources (as well as e.g. Clean Feed for the latter) — and both are known for their knowledge of twentieth century USA popular music, obviously relevant background for this tribute album. (And that term "background" does happen to be important in this case....) Finally, I had mentioned Santo in conjunction with José Lencastre's 08.30/18.09/10.10/10.18 (in December), and he appears to work most often in more traditional settings. So the sextet consists of one alto (Rodrigues on viola), three tenors (of which the cello sometimes functions as a bass), and piano & drums. Whereas Rodrigues does engage in some traditional string virtuosity from his position in the highest register, it's not always particularly evident. Indeed, For Cecil Taylor generally has a kind of murky & swirling character from which more traditional expressions & interactions, even solos, sometimes emerge. And whereas the "murky swirling" garden includes various string harmonics & the like, the simmering activity generally has a traditional feel as well, featuring a variety of interlocking ostinati & other techniques of continuity. It's basically the "stuff" of jazz, but presented from other directions. (One might thus note that it starts by constructing a mood, which it might then harvest....) Sometimes the result is quite a racket, but some activity is usually more in the foreground, while some is more in the background, and these relative positions can shift, whether suddenly or gradually, as different activity sharpens or comes into focus. Per the previous entry (& pace harmonics), instruments do usually "sound like instruments" here, versus more experimental settings typical of Rodrigues, though. Moreover, For Cecil Taylor is a long album, over an hour, and thus presents plenty of opportunity for a wide variety of interactions: Track #3 (the longest) begins on piano, which might be said to imitate Taylor, but only tangentially — and then the piano asserts itself again for its most traditionally jazzy (even romantic) evocations only toward the end of track #4 (after various intervening, less qualifiable, piano activity — i.e. the noted ostinati, etc.). The result is almost a haze of Taylor's associated sounds & musical environment, from which some more specific (& sometimes more specifically jazzy) individual tributes can emerge amid other layers of activity. (One almost wishes for more of this mode from e.g. the horns, which can be surprisingly & straightforwardly expressive at times.) Perhaps For Cecil Taylor can be characterized as an impressionistic collage of Taylor's forms & sounds, then — which finally dissolve away. (And of course Taylor himself had ceased his musical activity by the time that I began this project, so nothing from him ever really fit here, although I did list his Victoriaville trio album with Bill Dixon & Tony Oxley as my oldest item for a while.) 28 June 2018. Todd McComb's Jazz Thoughts

Dedicated to the late free jazz legend Cecil Taylor, this Lisbon sextet of Paulo Alexandre Jorge on tenor saxophone, Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Eduardo Chagas on trombone, Manuel Guimaraes on piano, Miguel Mira on cello, and Pedro Santo on drums performs four energetic and well-balanced collective improvisations, respecting and evoking the incredible legacy Taylor left behind. (Squidco)

Numa editora (a sua) que se tornou num dos baluartes mundiais da tendência reducionista da improvisação, eis que o violetista Ernesto Rodrigues regressa neste “For Cecil Taylor” às suas raízes, as do free jazz. Podia tê-lo feito mimetizando as concepções do desaparecido pianista, dada a intenção colocada em título de lhe prestar tributo, mas isso seria demasiado óbvio. O que ouvimos é um grupo de improvisação livre a remexer na linguagem da chamada New Thing sem nunca perder a distância que vai de uma condição para a outra, ainda que as referências na música contemporânea que têm norteado o percurso de Rodrigues (e de certo modo também os do trombonista da New Thing Unit, Eduardo Chagas) se façam sentir tanto quanto os do jazz, até porque assim acontecia com Cecil Taylor.

A escolha dos restantes membros é elucidativa no que respeita à vontade de nada estereotipar: se Paulo Alexandre Jorge, em saxofone tenor, é um descendente directo do tipo de linguagem abraçado por Taylor (as suas abordagens remetem-nos amiúdes vezes para Archie Shepp - nunca para o que seria um Jimmy Lyons mais grave), e se Miguel Mira, no violoncelo afinado como um contrabaixo, é dessa tradição que parte, já as presenças do pianista Manuel Guimarães e do baterista Pedro Santo garantem que nenhuma linearidade seja possível. Curioso é, aliás, verificar que os quatro temas reunidos terminam precisamente quando os parâmetros arriscam a tornar-se demasiado “taylorianos”. Excusado seria dizer que a viola de Ernesto Rodrigues em nenhum momento faz as vezes do violino de Ramsey Ameen – são outras as suas coordenadas, aquelas a que o músico nos tem habituado. Com tais procedimentos, o sexteto realiza algo que, com certeza, o homenageado teria gostado: que o seu contributo para a história do jazz surja como um exemplo de liberdade criativa e não como um modelo a reproduzir passivamente. Rui Eduardo Paes (Jazz.pt)

Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929 April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet, on the most prominent artists of the XX and XXI century. "Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in complex improvisation often involving tone clusters and intricate poly-rhythms. His technique has been compared to percussion. Referring to the number of keys on a standard piano, Val Wilmer used the phrase "eighty-eight tuned drums" to describe Taylor's style. He has been referred to as being "like Art Tatum with contemporary-classical leanings"." In a sadly
prophetic session on 17th of March 2018 Ernesto and his New Thing Unit gives tribute and homage to this Giant of contemporary art.
New This Unit has a very special sound, combining strings (viola and cello) with the sounds of tenor and trombone, and piano and drums support. The set starts with "I", which is a perfect presentation of the band's approach to free improvisation. It opens with delicate saxophone/
trombone sounds, and inside/outside piano key strokes. The strings contribute bowing or pizzicato, and then the drums join. One has impression of something growing slowly, but consequently. After 3 minutes the first explosion occurs involving everybody, but with the
fantastic trombone and viola solo in the first place. The improvisation becomes more collective, but the saxophone takes over for a while, making place for another viola and cello statement. After 10 minutes the piano has voice for some time. The mood becomes more peaceful,
to erupt again in the 15 minutes. This 17 minutes long track is a masterpiece!!!
The following "II" is a shorter, 6 minutes long ballad--like tune, with breath taking and heart breaking melancholic collective improvisations. "III" is another 25 minutes long highlight, starting with Cecil Taylor-like piano lines. The strings make here a phenomenal background.
After 2 minutes the whole ensemble enters super powerfully: trombone and then the saxophone declare the war to end it with a peace in the 10th minute. The strings are in front again, with Miguel playing pizzicato bass lines. The fragmented solo of Paolo end with the cello solo, after which the ensemble comes back giving place to the trombone statement. Another collective eruption takes place to finish with a bluesy and sad saxophone/cello/drums trio. Incredible stu ff!!! The set ends with "IV", another shorter, yet 13 minutes long track that starts with the drums and strings trio. In the third minute the band joins in a full dimension, but
the lead belongs to the strings. This changes in the sixth minute when the trombone and the saxophone take over. The piano is also omnipresent, and in the 9th minute the piano solo starts. It lasts over two minutes and ends with an entry of the drums and string that augments and ceases till the very end.

For me this, in addition to "Meandros e Vertentes" is one of the best records of the Rogrigues "gang", and one of the best free improvised records of the Portuguese scene of the last decade!!! Maciej Lewenstein 

On retrouve l’esprit de Cecil Taylor et de son Unit dans cette musique « free-jazz » enregistrée au Studio Namouche à Lisbonne. On n’aurait jamais imaginé il y a quinze ou même sept ans entendre un tel album chez Creative Sources, ni trouver le très classieux altiste Ernesto Rodrigues en telle compagnie. Le violoncelliste Miguel Mira est plus coutumier du fait avec Rodrigo Amado et Gabriel Ferrandini. Mais foin de spéculations esthétiques, vous avez ici du bon vieux free jazz joué collectivement avec deux excellents cordistes qui virevoltent , un pianiste compétent, un tromboniste allumé, un saxophoniste ténor enflammé et un batteur qui se bonifie tout au long de la session. Quatre parties dont les deux premières hautes en couleur avec des vagues incandescentes, des parties monodiques des cuivres évoluant par-dessus l’activité trépidante autour du batteur et du violoncelliste. Le troisième morceau se focalise sur les deux cordes qui scient à tout va, le tromboniste Eduardo Chagas hachant menu la colonne d’air et le pianiste piquetant ses commentaires avisés. Le sax emboîte le pas en faisant chuinter, grincer sa sonorité jusqu’aux harmoniques sauvages et frustes et le tromboniste soufflant à pleins poumons. Le travail de Jorge dans les harmoniques est méritant et la sensibilité et les idées d’Ernesto Rodrigues remonte à la surface apportant une couleur qui complète les morsures sur l’anche du saxophoniste. Chacun apporte sa pierre à l’édifice en faisant varier les plaisirs pour que cela s’écoute encore après vingt minutes et plus. Ça joue à l’emporte-pièce et cela me rappelle l’excitation éprouvée avec ces albums ESP et BYG avec Frank Wright, Sunny Murray, Alan Shorter etc... Ça évolue dans des sphères plus mystérieuses et espacées tout en soutenant l’atmosphère un peu dramatique. La quatrième partie commence avec un riff du violoncelliste et le jeu passionné et extrême du violoniste, introduisant un motif mélodique ressassé du ténor, et les raclements du trombone, parfait leitmotiv pour l’empoignade finale … Du free en somme. Pour Cecil Taylor. Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg (Orynx)

0 minutes and 0 seconds

CD – Creative Sources Recordings – CS524, Lisbon 2018

1. I - 05'02''
2. II - 15'11''
3. III - 06'24''
4. IV - 06'11''
5. V - 07'00''

Ernesto Rodrigues - Viola
Guilherme Rodrigues - Cello

Andrew Lafkas - Double Bass

Bryan Eubanks - Electronics

Recorded October 2017, Berlin

Cover design Carlos Santos

https://ernestorodrigues.bandcamp.com/album/0-minutes-and-0-seconds

Reviews

I wasn't sure what to expect from 0 minutes and 0 seconds, recorded in Berlin last October, but it ends up being one of the most compelling recent albums from Ernesto & Guilherme Rodrigues. (And of course they both appear on so many albums....) The uncertainty derived from two basic dimensions, the first being the apparent "tribute" mode engaged by the title: This must be an evocation of Cage, right? (His piece 0'00", composed in 1962, is subtitled 4'33" No. 2, and so is a direct followup to what is often considered — especially by non-admirers — to be Cage's most influential, or at least provocative, composition.) Yet, besides the fact that Cage's 0'00" directs the performer to do anything (rather, to "perform a disciplined action") for any length of time, it is unequivocally labeled as for soloist (on any instrument). So here the solo instrument is a quartet of strings & electronics, and moreover, there are five tracks: As is not always the case in this music, there are even clear track divisions, with a few seconds of silence between them. So perhaps one should think of five different versions (although Cage himself did allow for "interruptions" in this work). 0 minutes and 0 seconds is not the first album by Rodrigues to present an enigma within a tribute context (and indeed Ernesto has a new album For Cecil Taylor that I expect to hear in the next few weeks): I ended up saying nothing about it at the time, in large part due to my own confusion, but e.g. Licht had already appeared in 2015. One might conclude that the title is simply an ordinary (German) word, but the evocation of Stockhausen's massive cycle goes beyond the title & in concrete ways, such as the seven tracks of the album (& perhaps even the septet of musicians). I rarely ask Ernesto anything specific about his music per se, but I did ask him if that album related to Stockhausen. (It cannot be a faithful performance of the score, at least not in any complete or logical sense.) His response was cryptic, so I dropped the subject. In any case, whereas Rodrigues's Licht is much more manageable than Stockhausen's, his 0'00" would appear to be rather more expansive than Cage's. (One might also call these "classical albums" accordingly, although at this point, I'm not sure what sort of point such a distinction would be making.) In keeping with a sense of 0 minutes and 0 seconds as consisting of five different performances of Cage's work by the same quartet of musicians, there are strong & overlapping perceptions of temporality involved: Much seems to happen, despite the relatively short length (just under forty minutes total), such that each track constitutes its own individual world: These can be quiet worlds, yet with an intensity that relates to qualities of duration per se. Not unlike Sîn, 0 minutes and 0 seconds also responds to different levels of attention, from concentration to indifference, although it can tend to fade away under the latter condition. (And regarding the "what's next?" question asked around Tellurium last week, 0 minutes and 0 seconds is numbered higher than 500 in the Creative Sources catalog, as were already Sîn, Meandros e Vertentes, etc. So things continue to happen quickly for Rodrigues....) Likewise in keeping with a sense of classical performance, there are perhaps questions of elitism lingering behind such work, and so this might be a good time for a few (more) general remarks: First, the notion that "popular" music, emerging from within the confines of imperial modernism, could be uncontaminated by the conditions of its emergence is an absurdity. One can speak of insurrection, of course, and the means at one's disposal, but there is certainly no purity to any such project — as seems to be posited by some critics of elitism. In fact, one requires considerable investigation in order to strip away layers of imperial imposition, and the basic ways in which Western tonality has rendered itself as being self-evident. If one responds in turn that such investigation is not, in principle, open to everyone, of course I must agree, because people function under various constraints (in actuality). So experimental music of this sort is certainly not sufficient, but it does contribute to the insurrectional character of popular struggle by virtue of its confrontation with universalizing & transcendentalizing imperial (musical) rhetoric. It is a matter, in other words, of immanent revolt at all levels, and so of not automatically or necessarily being content with whatever kernel of "the popular" presents itself. (Personally, whereas I can hear the insurrectional qualities to be found in e.g. the American Songbook, I also hear the modernizing tendencies, particularly the embedded anti-indigenous rhetoric, strongly & moreover, first.) After all, popular radio was established for social control: This is simply a fact, regardless of whatever heresy might have been allowed into it over the years. So sometimes, perhaps, one might do well to begin again from "first principles" of music, and this is what we see today in experimental improvisation: How does one forge or trace or acknowledge a new form of life, beyond the supposed non-alternative of contemporary neoliberal globalization? Is envisioning (or en-audibling) the non-impossibility of change inherently elitist? Let us hope not! (Is the unfamiliar elitist? In what sense might this be true or untrue? It is not a simple question....) So these are general comments, but what of this particular music? For one, the smaller forces (that I tend to favor here, as noted too often already) are easier to assemble, requiring fewer resources or coordination — in that an album always enacts or projects an economy of forces. (Although one could also posit that the popular, by definition, allows for the gathering of larger forces.) On 0 minutes and 0 seconds the Rodrigueses are joined (only) by Andrew Lafkas on double bass & Bryan Eubanks (b.1977) on "oscillators," yielding my second basic uncertainty around the album: I was not previously familiar with either. However, Lafkas had worked e.g. with Bill Dixon, and even has a trio album Funkhaus (released late last year) on Fine Noise and Light with Mazen Kerbaj & label director (& bassist) Mike Bullock: That is also a pulsing affair, but tends to be less smooth. Lafkas & Eubanks have actually worked together regularly, including years of performance (& albums such as Oceans Roar 1000 Drums, from 2012) as a trio with loft-era jazz drummer Todd Capp: Theirs is another exploration of duration & continuity via waves of sound, this time with drums forging much of the segmented material for elaboration via complementary smoothness. (Coincidentally, Capp joins the duo of Guillermo Gregorio & Nicolas Letman-Burtinovic for many of the tracks on their recent album Futura Spartan Suite, another innovative clarinet trio record that, like Bird Saw Buchla, is accompanied by very little documentation.) The general smoothness of whatever the oscillators are (& it seems to be basic sine wave production) tends to facilitate even more blend than an actual string quartet, which the ensemble otherwise resembles: The album begins with a brief clear tone (from an oscillator, I suppose), and quickly moves through a liminal, sheering presence via the strings — a Scelsian becoming, one might say. (One might also hear pre-echoes of Tellurium.) Some other tracks can have been more calm, rather than emergent per se, perhaps amid whistling harmonics or a sense of a distant signal, even the chirping of birds.... What such a description cannot convey, however, is the basic affectivity involved, and how 0 minutes and 0 seconds consequently modulates the listener's mood & receptivity. (One might think of notions of interiority & command — or indeed of being outside time.) Perhaps I will compare to some other favorites, and in particular Growing carrots..., which projects a similar sort of experimental emergence, but within a different (again, as one might say, here following Steve Goodman, aka Kode9) "politics of frequency" — such that, in other words, Growing carrots... generally emphasizes higher pitches within its particular assemblage of strings & electronics. Whitewashed with lines had explored similar sonorities (including as process-based) with related sorts of rigor & conceptions of dissonance....           Although this discussion projects an impersonal quality, 0 minutes and 0 seconds retains a very human core, such that expression itself is highlighted: In this, it's almost the inverse complement of Traintracks..., in which a more immediate expressivity is turned toward articulating industrial (i.e. inhuman) devastation. In that sense, 0 minutes and 0 seconds is more immanently noetic (i.e. regards the interiority of thought), and so successful (as well as novel) as a tribute to Cage. 2 June 2018. Todd McComb's Jazz Thoughts

Lisbon-based viola player Ernesto Rodrigues joins three Berlin-based musicians--cellist Guilherme Rodrigues, with double bassist Andrew Lafkas and electronics artist Bryan Eubanks--merging the lowercase approaches of Creative Sources groupings with experimental electronics for a 5-part album that ranges from the subliminal to assertive tones and momentum. The music has a great deal of tension, but also orchestral beauty, surprising from such a small grouping. Eubanks is often difficult to pinpoint, providing very subtle tones and feedback that could easily be string sounds, or at time the calling of alien birds. The characteristics of Creative Sources collective approaches is made distinct by the occasional aggressive motion, but overall the players maintain an even and remarkably controlled level of suspense and mystery. This would be a good entrypoint album for those unfamiliar with the Creative Sources catalog but who are interested in EA-Improv in general. (Squidco)