Bode Wilson

A brief glimpse into cutting edge Portuguese creative music Aether reaches it’s full potential after a couple of shaky opening tracks and ends up making Bode Wilson a trio to follow. Actually there is no Bode Wilson. Instead the group consists of saxophonist/flutist João Pedro Brandão, who leads the Coreto Ensemble, and percussionist Marcos Cavaleiro and Argentinian bassist Demian Cabaud, both of whom are part of Susana Santos Silva’s quintet.

Overall it appears that the band is determinately working its way up to “Ventre”, the penultimate track during which unconventional techniques are fully displayed. Digging deep into his horn’s body tube, Brandão amplifies intense flattement and flutters with organ pedalboard vibrations alongside Cabaud’s string rasps, climaxing with squeaking reed jabs piercing the omnipresent drone.

Putting aside early slants towards balladic interface, the trio toughens its expositions with bent note patterns usually involving reeds and double bass with percussion clip clops providing linear support. As Cavaleiro’s patterns harden so does the output from his associates. Often reaching prestissimo narratives, the three stud the tracks with strained reed smears and whistles, drum rubs and paradiddles and carefully ascending arco string slices.

A unique change of pace is “Lacrau”, as Cabaud scrapes out rasps and clip from the charango or miniature Andean lute. But even here the progression towards craggy improvisation is enhanced by Brandão’s uncompromising reed pressure and tongue slaps. Although Aether is defined as explaining the inexplicable, there’s nothing inexplicable about the improvisational strength of this trio.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Friesta 2. Desencanto 3. O Eremita 4. Procissão 5. Iniciação 6. Ancestrus 7. Lacrau 8. Ladaínha 9. Vale 10. Ventre 11. Nascimento de um Astro

Personnel: João Pedro Brandão (alto and soprano saxophones, flute and organ pedalboard); Demian Cabaud (bass and charango) and Marcos Cavaleiro (drums and percussion)