Agustí Fernández/Hugo Antunes/Roger Turner

Agustí Fernández/Liudas Mockūnas
Improdimensions
NoBusiness Records NBLP 132

Catalan pianist Agustí Fernández is apt to turn up anywhere where there are interesting improvised musicians with whom to commingle sounds. These fine sets prove that. Perspectrum finds the pianist in the company of British drummer Roger Turner, who is also a frequent international Free Music associate and Portuguese bassist Hugo Antunes who has worked with the likes of Paul Lovens. Meanwhile Improdimensions is Fernández’s linkage with Lithuanian saxophonist/clarinetist Liudas Liudas Mockūnas,who has recorded with Rafał Mazur and Haakon Berre among others. Considering the pianist has played with everyone from Evan Parker to William Parker he’s up for any situation

Although a festival set, the one extended improvisation and brief coda on Perspectrum are fully integrated trio work. Easing into the program with jagged piano string plucks, percussion clatters and double bass rubs, the three move southwards via drum shuffles and stick shaking plus responsive single-string twangs from Antunes. Intensifying the tension via soundboard echoes and contrasting dynamics, Fernández’s tremolo keyboard slithers are met by arco rubs that squeak in the bass’s highest register. With Turner’s cymbal scraps and drum thumps only partially brightening the sequence, by mid point both piano and bass are involved in spanning that divide with tremolo patterning. Soon Antunes’ power plucks are wedded with Fernández kinetically digging jagged textures from his instrument’s innards as well as pedal extension. With the bassist given a showcase to slap and vibrate contrapuntal strokes in the track’s final minutes, the pianist’s percussive rhythm stops so that Antunes’ arco string clips confirm the ending. Although there are some stentorian bass string plucks and piano key clips on “OUTro” the main purpose of this brief coda seems to confirm that the trio is capable of more delicate and responsive playing.

Simplicity and delicacy aren’t on show during Improdimensions’ two three-part expositions. With stripped down instrumentation, Mockūnas has room to whistle, buzz and trill textures from his graceful but somewhat nasal soprano saxophone, produce hard tenor saxophone fills and eventually growl dynamic split tones from his bass clarinet. In dual counterpoint, Fernández alternately expresses low frequency comping or accelerates challenges with thickened rubs, including what could be a metal comb pulled along the piano’s internal strings. At the centre of “Improdimension I” as keyboard styling becomes more percussive, keyboard strikes and quaking slaps make common cause with circular overblowing, flattement and finally circular breathing until bass clarinet snorts that follow responsive piano glissandi settles into staccato theme elaboration.

First contracted to thinner tones, “Improdimension II” soon moves from the horn and piano innards as Mockūnas gusts colored air from his horns and Fernández concentrates splayed notes into kinetic shakes and vibrations. The climax is polyrhythmic and more rugged, as knife-sharp stroke against the piano strings give way to conclusive guttural reed cries plus broken-octave doits from the bass clarinet. Codified improvisational essays exist on both CDs. Choice between the two is one’s preference for bountiful piano interaction with either one or two associates.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Perspectrum: 1. UNO 2. OUTro

Personnel: Perspectrum: Agustí Fernández (piano); Hugo Antunes (bass) and Roger Turner (drums)

Track Listing: Improdimensions: 1. Improdimension I: Part I Part II Part III 2. Improdimension II: Part I Part II Part III

Personnel: Improdimensions: Liudas Mockūnas (soprano and tenor saxophones and contrabass clarinet) and Agustí Fernández (piano)