aporias |cs077

[…] Avec The flying vapours of incipient madness, la première plage d’Aporias, on rentre de plainpied dans un univers qui offre beaucoup de points communs avec le groupe AMM. Comme Eddie Prévost, le percussionniste japonais Tatsuya Nakatani manie l’archet sur la cymbale en vibration sur la peau des tambours et les quatre ecossaise, par ailleurs membres du Glasgow Improv Orchestra, s’imbrique parfaitement dans le jeu du percussionniste. Mais comme le démontre It is affirmed that the evening and night are the seasons of most violence with incipient lunatics, la deuxième plage, Tatsuya est un agitateur de groupe astucieux et dynamique. C’est de l’impro libre et interactif de haute volée. Nick Fells joue du laptop et des samplings, Peter Nicholson du violoncelle, Raymond MacDonald des saxophones et Neil Davidson de la guitarre électrique. Ceux qui sont rétifs à certains excès de la nouvelle improvisation et les autre se régaleront. La troisième plage, A slight incipient fermentation is undoubtedly of use in the dunghill marie l’approche AMM et SME avec une réelle pertinence et une énergie accrue. Cette rencontre de décembre 2004 à Glasgow s’écoute avec le plus garns bonheur. Nakatani effectue une tournée annuelle en Europe et se joint aux groupements d’improvisateurs qui veulent l’accueillir et jouer avec lui. Cette soirée est particulièrement réussie et la communication entre chaque protagoniste est optimale sans appartenir à un seul sub-genre improvisé. Les deux autres plages ouvrent encore d’autres horizons. Aporias est un des enregistrements les plus convaincants de Nakatani et un de ceux qui répondent parfaitement à la question: C’est quoi l’improvisation libre (et collective)? Ces Aporias apportent une réponse vivante à de nombreuses idées et réalités de cet univers musical. En conclusion, Creative Sources maintient le cap de la découverte et de l’innovation. Mais ses récentes productions se focalisent nettement moins sur le formalisme quasi conceptuel et la nouveauté per se, les enregistrements solo et l’électronique, et plus sur l’exigence organique d’improvisateurs expérimentés et une véritable diversité. Une belle réussite. J-J-M Van Schouwburg (Improjazz)

Aporias, recorded in Glasgow's University Concert Hall in 2004, consists of five tracks whose long titles all contain the adjective "incipient", plus a sixth uncredited one that ends the performance in style with the most mantric piece, sounding like a homage of sorts to LaMonte Young. The quintet's armaments include drums and percussion, laptop, sampling, cello, soprano and alto saxes, electric guitar. A striking feature of the disc is the chiaroscuro-like alternance of restraint and semi-blowouts, the latter never trespassing the limits of comprehensibility, making me think about a miniature reproduction of Emanem's Strings With Evan Parker in a few interesting moments with MacDonald giving his all in obvious, if coherent struggles with predictability. In the more spartan segments, tapestries of manipulated guitar and laptop contraptions welcome Nicholson's intuitive cello figures, while Nakatani only rarely allows himself to lower his tight percussive defence in favour of a disjointed beat. I much prefer those moments of concentrated standstill, as it's there that the music mostly succeeds in leaving stereotypes behind. At almost 70 minutes, avoiding the traps of boredom is a serious task that these musicians try hard to perform, with only partially satisfactory results. Massimo Ricci (Paris Transatlantic)

Aporias, título recente de um quinteto de improvisação livre formado em Glasgow, Escócia, que inclui o percussionista japonês residente em Nova Iorque, fundador da editora H&H, Tatsuya Nakatani, e os membros da Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, director Raymond MacDonald (saxofones alto e soprano), Peter Nicholson (violoncelo), Nick Fells (laptop e samplers), e Neil Davidson (guitarra eléctrica), que já editou Grain, disco de guitarra acústica solo, na Creative Sources Recordings. Nas cinco peças de Aporias (68') há traços de escola Inglesa de improvisação livre, do marulhar e da constente tensão milimétrica que John Stevens instilava na música do Spontaneous Music Ensemble, com ocasionais picos de febre. Ao olhar que percorre o passado recente, como revisitação da memória que codificou gestos, sinais e referências de uma prática com determinada demarcação temporal, o grupo aporta elementos da sua própria pesquisa, individual e colectivamente assumida, patente numa particular organização tímbrica e espacial que é, na sua unidade e diversidade, tributária da escrita ocidental, de alguns aspectos do minimalismo de 70, da arte sonora electrónica actual e de alguns aspectos meditativos ligados à tradição japonesa. Para pôr em prática este programa de acção, o grupo trabalha sobre aquela plataforma estética, reconhecível e deveras importante na improvisação europeia em geral e britânica em particular, mas não se deixa ficar pela actualização dos procedimentos que Stevens, Bailey, Watts, Parker e companhia inventaram em meados de 60 – os quais autonomizaram a improvisação, até então uma característica, entre outras, do jazz norte-americano – ou dos AMM, de John Tilbury e Eddie Prévost (desde 2005, um duo), que, partindo de idênticos pressupostos, apontaram noutras direcções. O quinteto de Aporias optou antes por, tomando aquelas referências como ponto de partida e motivo de inspiração, transformar modos, trabalhar sobre novos desenvolvimentos estéticos e recentrar o paradigma musical nos aspectos eminentemente colectivos da criação espontânea. É assim que a uma intensa actividade sonora por unidade de tempo, permeada de breves intervalos de silêncio, o quinteto adiciona um tipo de construção gramatical complexa, de tecitura apertada, meios pelos quais logra a convergência entre o fino rendilhado obtido através das mais diversas técnicas experimentais, ortodoxas e heterodoxas, aplicadas aos instrumentos, a simplicidade formal da organização e um assinalável sentido narrativo, prática musical conscientemente assumida como uma forma apurada (e depurada) de composição instantânea. A música, sendo de fácil acesso e descoberta, exige um ouvido atento e interessado neste tipo de poética de síntese entre o "clássico" e os avanços estéticos da chamada nova música improvisada. Edição da CS. Eduardo Chagas (Jazz e Arredores)

Not electro-acoustic music this time, but a fine work dealing with radical improvisation and what’s more all has been frozen during a real live set at the Glasgow concert hall. This quintet is composed by a cello a saxophone player, guitar, drums and obviously being in the new millennium there’s a laptop for the sake of computer age. The performance is well recorded and despite the hall reverb (here quite attenuated), the sound definition is really good and yes, the most important thing is that the ensemble works really well as a collective. You have some chaotic parts, some soft movements and some quietly played notes that build up tension, the principal trait of this five piece is that every musician is afraid to be too intrusive in the work of his ensemble fellow, anyhow that doesn’t prevent them to dive in coral parts. Despite the fact I think the most of the music comes out free improvisation, you can bet it has not much to do with free jazz if not for some brass solutions. The music most of the times flirts with contemporary classic music and with some Lynchesque odd soundtracks, in general you have some really quiet situations and disconnected-chaotic-free eruptions that’s rather typical in these free live performances (and here’s also where the pay the heaviest tribute to free-jazz music). As I’ve said before in general this material should be listened live, not for the fact it’s weak on a cd, but for logically live-performance is its intrinsic nature. Andrea Ferraris (Chain DLK)

Here we have several members of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra with percussionist Tatsuya Nakatani during a late 2004 visit to Glasgow. Although some of the expression is wild and full-on, it's a tribute to all involved that a lot of the strongest material on Aporias lies in the most restrained sections. The big reverberant soundstage is especially well suited to Nakatani's deepest drums too. Incipient is the common word throughout the five titles. Thus far, I've tracked down the source for one line as Samuel Johnson... there should be a prize for the person who gets all five! Anyway, the suggestion of something new and fresh is just about right for this meeting of forces. JC (Boa Melody Bar)