Marcelo dos Reis & Luis Vicente

Hautzinger/Normand
Unbelievably Late
Tour de bras tdb 90054/inexhaustible editions ie-051

Posing and solving a musical theorem. Two duos use only brass and strings to reveal a multitude of unexpected textures. One, consisting of two Portuguese players, guitarist Marcelo dos Reis and trumpeter Luis Vicente, is a regular working group; the other consisting of Austrian Franz Hautzinger’s amplified trumpet and Québécois Éric Normand using electric bass and motors was recorded when the two hooked up for a Canadian tour. Division between the two is that those times when dos Reis and Vicente pivot to as extended techniques, makes up the complete sonic strategy of Hautzinger and Normand.

An intermittent duo for 15 years, the Portuguese players, who also work with the likes of Albert Cirera and Eve Risser, consistently intercut and complement each other’s playing.  Brass outflow such as smeary triplets, aviary whistles or half-valve squeezes are speedily and sympathetically matched with extended bass string vibrations, single-string clips or percussion rubs. Response flows in the other direction as well. Yet no matter how many string drones or triplet brass extensions are emphasized, carefully rounded notes and warm patterning are also heard, with melodic motifs supplementing sound evolution.

Bookended with bell-like string strokes and a bugle calling reprise as a finale, “Grizzly Bear” is an instance of this. Tremolo brass variations undulate up and down as dos Reis’ pressurized strokes create a percussion undertow. Still hints of euphony sneak through.

With Vicente’s vocalized puffs and smears emphasized at times and dos Reis’ ability to replicate violin-like, mandolin-like and double-bass-like portents at others, the recital wraps up with the second part of “Climbing Up the Mountain”, which begins the set. Vincente’s elevated but not screechy pitches accent the sonic landscape delineated by dos Reis, with equal emphasis on high string twanging jumps and low-string basso drones. Harmonies kicks in at mid-point that continue alongside strangled and vocalized smears from the trumpet and buzzes and clanks from the guitarist.

If the canny intersection of trumpet and guitar tones is what characterizes Unprepared Pieces for Guitar and Trumpet, then Unbelievably Late is an instance of instrumental timbres used as a sound source without identifying characteristics. In fact “Attendre La Fin” is the only time on the disc when string strums and trumpet puffs confirm that Hautzinger and Normand are playing trumpet and bass.

Other than that, while portamento brass advancement and string shaking emphasis is infrequently heard, more common are tongue stops, buried throat gurgles and static air pushed valveless through the horn’s body tube from Hautzinger as well as string squeaks, stretches and an overlay of constant motor-sourced turns and hisses from Normand. These barrel-organ-like turns and hollow-drum-like resonations take up a good portion of the sound field on a track like “Vlad Is Still Waiting”. At the same time they judder against widening dog-like howls and ripple from one half-wallowing tone to another. Variations abound, but most duets are completed rather than ended.

The raison d’être for the duet is fully realized throughout the disc’s six tracks. Other tropes such as forcing speedy triplets through a narrow tube and simultaneously expressing tremolo drones and reverberating string stabs are frequently realized. But overall the session must be appreciated for what it achieves – expanding unusual textures past their utmost limits – rather than what it lacks in melody and harmony. Depending on one’s preferences though each session offers a notable instance of brass-string intersection.

–Ken Waxman

 Track Listing: Waiting 4. Un Lapin Blanc 5. Attendre La Fin 6. Histoire Du Prince C.E

Personnel: Unbelievably: Franz Hautzinger (amplified trumpet) and Éric Normand (electric bass, motors)

Track Listing: Unprepared: 1. Climbing Up the Mountain (Part I) 2. Cornelia 3. One Deer at a Car Window 4. Grizzly Bear 5. The Grey Car 6. Whirlpool 7. Rotterdam at Night 8. Climbing Up the Mountain (Part II)

Personnel: Unprepared: Luís Vicente (trumpet) and Marcelo dos Reis (guitar)