light.box + Emil Karlsen

Heberer/Fonda/Hertenstein
Remedy II
Fundacja Sluchaj FSR 12/2023

Pairing a saxophone with just bass and drum has become so commonplace over the past few decades that it’s almost matter of course for multiple players. But the freedom engendered by creative music has expanded this set up so that brass players are experimenting with it as well. With greater space implicit without chordal accompaniment the limitations of three valve and tubing may be exposed. Luckly these UK and US combinations handily overcome these pitfalls,  with individual strategies.

Adding the rhythms of Norwegian drummer Emil Karlsen to the output of light.box, British trumpeter Alex Bonney and Canadian bass guitarist Pierre Alexandre Tremblay add a new dimension to The Undanced dance, especially because of the multi-sectional improvisations make extensive use of electronics. Completely acoustic on Remedy II, Germans in New York trumpeter Thomas Heberer and percussionist Joe Hertenstein provide a second glimpse of their close, interactive teamwork with American bassist Joe Fonda on Remedy II.

Bonney who has played with Olie Brice is also a producer as is Tremblay, who is part of other Jazz configurations; meanwhile Karlsen often performs with Philipp Wachsmann. Despite these background differences, Karlsen’s measured thumps add cadenced linearity to tracks which besides Bonney’s high-pitched triplets and foreshadowed flutters are angled towards otherworldly tone distortion. This is due to Tremblay’s high-pitched string plinks and voltage flanges with the progress underscored by obtuse electronic quivering and wave form drones. Some of the other sequences may be more distinctly rugged as when, during the two parts of “The Unmoved Movement”, electronically altered portamento trumpet almost bizarre trumpet swerves and smears are mated with percussion with enhanced clatters, clunk and rebounds.

However it’s the three-part “Loosing The Shot” that highlights the trio’s quick changes from abstraction to connection and back again. With Trembley’s bass guitar timbres slapping upfront, trumpet tones become more diffuse, brittle and curt, suggesting Bitches Brew-era Miles Davis. As brass slurs and squeal complemented but compromised by Karlsen’s careful rat tat tats and later thunder sheet-like rumbles fade, plunger brass notes and string frails combine to eventually define the narrative.

Unlike the group improv on the other disc, Heberer, who has been part of ICP Orchestra; Hertenstein, who has worked with Matthew Ship; and Fonda who plays with numerous US and EU musicians, each contribute compositions. But the performances are so tight that there’s no stylistic dissonance. The bassist is the most sophisticated in his lines as demonstrated by the Bluesy “I’ve Been Singing” and the nearly seamless “Seamless”. The first chugs along as it slowly slides up the scale courtesy of Fonda’s woody pops, Hertenstein’s clunks and cymbal sizzles and Heberer’s Cootie Willaims-like plunger slurs, vibrating growls and near-erotic accents. “Seamless” is built around a blend of muted brass flatulence, arco bass string scrapes and a non-oppressive drum solo that is splashy, but restrained enough to fuse with sympathetic bass thumps and brass tongue pops.

The trumpeter’s playing ranges from projecting static air with watery burbles to moderated picture painting in a straight-ahead manner. This versatility is particularly prominent as he unites with the others for broken octave expositions that benefit from his ability to switch from sweet to sour tones. His own “One for Mark” gains a high intensity fillip from this skill as triplet-laced brass progress hooks up with drum rolls and bass string pumps to assay a pleasant, almost child-like melody.

Linking moderated and mellow narratives with enough extended techniques to make things exciting, but with textures that are neither gaudy or pretentious is how Heberer, Fonda and Hertenstein make their mark. This trio’s interactions are as profound as the other group’s connection. It also points to the high-octane quality of each session.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Undanced: 1. The Shot Must Fall Pt. 1 2. The Shot Must Fall Pt. 2 3. The Shot Must Fall Pt. 3 4. Loosing The Shot Pt. 1 5. Loosing The Shot Pt. 2 6. Loosing The Shot Pt. 3 7. The Unmoved Movement Pt. 1 8. The Unmoved Movement Pt. 2

Personnel: Undanced: Alex Bonney (trumpet and electronics); Pierre Alexandre Tremblay (bass guitar and electronics) and Emil Karlsen (drums)

Track Listing: Remedy: 1. One for Mark 2. The Variant 3. Seamless 4. My Song 5. Nothing Like Something 6. I’ve Been Singing 7. The Nth X 8. Home

Personnel: Remedy: Thomas Heberer (trumpet); Joe Fonda (bass) and Joe Hertenstein (drums and percussion)