Le Havre cs580

Returning to the ensemble on Kuori, participation by Carlos Santos is often difficult to appraise, because it's unclear what he's doing: That's no more the case there than on so many other albums, and indeed that he's credited with synthesizer suggests that he's actually producing tones, rather than "only" sampling & looping & manipulating.... On the recent Le Havre (recorded in France in March 2018), however, he's credited with "electronics" & appears to focus on manipulations, but as usual, not in an obvious manner: One is sometimes confronted by sounds that "must" have come from electronics, but they arrive as a sort of fait accompli, such that one is often unaware of their origins. Joining Santos on Le Havre are the two Rodrigueses, such that one might readily compare to We Still Have Bodies (discussed here in August) with Richard Scott, but whereas it's often quite clear what the latter is doing, Santos usually remains subtle. Indeed, in pairing with the like-minded father-son duo, one might think that Santos's contributions would be that much more highlighted, as e.g. with Scott or Rupp, but that's not really the case. (Somehow they still tend to vanish, becoming spectral.) One might then characterize Le Havre as a "travel" album in that it tends to maintain continuity, even a single sweep, while passing through a variety of locales. (As a study in style, it would be helpful to know more about the actual circumstances of the sonic production, as it probably would for Kuori.) And as with so many of these albums, a latent searing intensity arises from & returns to a mellow sense of calm.... Anyway, that's my little tour of Rodrigues' recent output for the moment: And even as I write this, there are already new albums about which I'll have something to say (soon-ish), and by the time you read this, there will probably be even more.... Todd McComb's Jazz Thoughts

Recording at the Pied Nu Festival, in Le Havre, France in 2018, the trio of Ernesto Rodrigues on viola, Guilherme Rodrigues on cello, and Carlos Santos on electronics present an extended and mysteriously subtle album of electroacoustic improvisation, detailed and remarkably controlled conversation of near telepathic anticipation from three intimate collaborators. Squidco

"Le Havre”, recorded at PiedNu Festival, Le Havre in arch 218. Ernesto and Guilhermo are here essentially au naturel -- they are only supported by the subtle and sophisticated electronic sounds generated by Carlos Santos on synthesizer or computer. This support is quite essential though: it make the music sounding very spacial, or even cosmic. There is one, over 33 minutes long track, which is yet another example of Rodrigues' family mastery in free improvised minimalism. Maciej Lewenstein