Andrea Grossi Blend 3 + Jim Black

Axes promises a new spin – and rattle and shake and echo – of Italian bassist Andrea Grossi’s Blend 3 band when he, reedist Manuel Caliumi and guitarist Michele Bonifati add percussion to their formerly drum-free ensemble. It isn’t just any drummer either. It’s American Jim Black, who, besides leading  his own groups,0 has worked with everyone Ellery Esklein to Laurie Anderson.

Rhythmic input also means that the trio members, whose experience encompasses playing with Daniele Cavallanti, Orchestra Nationale Jazz and Giulio Stermiere among many others, up their game as well. Besides profound interpretations of the four-part title suite, which moves between harmolodic bounces and synthesized wave forms, instrumental textures allied to Black’s drums and percussion arise from Caliumi’s bass clarinet and alto saxophonist lines plus Grossi adding electric bass, lahuta and Bb clarinet asides to his double bass pulsations.

Subsequent tracks are often expressed in broken octaves with clarion reed slathers and split tones, contrapuntal guitar picking and spiccato double bass screeches reacting to Black’s particularized rapid ruffs, reverberating rim shots and irregular patterning. These extensions highlight both melodic pivots and multiphonic polyphony. This pentimenti variation is further expressed in unexpected motifs, as when on “Dark Bloom” the response to percussion pops and thumps comes from the widening slurs from affiliated clarion and lower pitched clarinets.

Concerned with polytonality and counterpoint as well as extending a groove the “Axes” suite includes an interregnum of multi tones where sustained and watery reed flattement is mixed in with bell resonation and percussion vamps until all fade. But the main theme otherwise expressed is still highly rhythmic. Bulging with Prime Time-like swift guitar picking and prestissimo drum bounces, contrapuntal reed trills and flutters further define the exposition as it moves to fasten on an inconsistent linear rush.

Giving new form to Grossi’s musical concepts, Axes sounds like an experiment that should be repeated – or perhaps amplified with still other players.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Axes: 1. I. Game 2. II. Interlude 3. III. Riddle 4. IV. Coda 5. Dark Bloom 6. BadAxes 7. Pedinte/BadAxes (Reprise)-

Personnel: Manuel Caliumi (alto saxophone and bass clarinet); Michele Bonifati (guitar); Andrea Grossi (bass, electric bass, Albanian lahuta and Bb clarinet) and Jim Black (drums and percussion)