Serries/Amado/Lisle

Lemadi Trio
Tryptophan Suite
New Wave of Jazz nwoj 0062

Expanding his collaborations with other creative musicians here, Belgian guitarist Dirk Serries is part of two trios which each feature a different Portuguese saxophonist. Equally compelling, though recorded almost two years apart, The Invisible couples the guitarist with tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, an Iberian veteran in numerous international combinations, plus  regular Serries associate UK drummer Andrew Lisle. Tryptophan Suite on the other hand links Serries with alto saxophonist José Lencastre, who has performer with the likes of Carlos Zingaro, plus on electric piano, the guitarist’s long-time associate and spouse Martina Verhoeven.

The presence of a percussionist defines how each session evolves. Lisle’s drum ruffs, rumbles and rebounds plus cymbal clanks and scratches give the other two a shifting but solid foundation on which to express themselves. Even Lisle’s brief unaccompanied solo on the title track adds to the overall structure rather than focusing attention on itself. Often knitting together simple and repeated notes and patterns, the saxophonist and guitarist also create their own motifs, reflecting tempos and connections. Amado’s expressions range from the technical to the traditional. Throughout he stretches timbres with multiphonic slurs, doits and spiraling vibrations. while there are points where his output is more languid and linear. During those interludes half-swallowed tones. pauses and straight-ahead elaborations of songbook standards hover, but never long enough to be fully defined.

Still these characteristics are elaborated on the lengthy “Tapestry” , which also provides space for the string strategies Serries pursues throughout. Positioning himself between Lisle and Amado, his playing veers from powerful drones and metallic clanks to string-ringing and horizontal comping. On “Tapestry” these devices serve as challenges to reed motifs. As Amado’s slides from note-bending tonguing and emphasized honks to almost vibrato-less trills and nearly inaudible timbral smears, Serries provides the proper rejoinder, or pushes the other musicians with jagged frails or vibrant string stings to dedicated theme variations.

Without a percussionist, but adding a chordal instrument, 19 months later as the Lemadi Trio, it’s Serries whose tough strums provide the rhythmic bottom during two untitled improvisations. With Lencastre’s reed constructs encompass similar, if not more intense bitten-off split tones, altissimo cries and pinched whines as Amado, it’s often the guitarist’s string shredding and chunky strums which keep the broken octave program developing without the saxophonist dominating the aural real estate.

Not that he’s alone. Verhoeven main contributions may pivot towards gentle keyboard ripples, isolated note plinks and bright tonal patterns, but she sometimes breaks up the others dense expositions with energetic glissandi and staccato emphasis.

By the second part of the concert without lessening dynamism, the sequences become more reflective and settled, including multiplying brief silent pauses. The pianist adds stop/start bounces and wider, more regularized arrangements, allowing the guitarist to ease out of the rhythmic role, setting aside continuum creation for string rubs, twangs and woody frails. Reed emphasis is still harsh and aggressive, but as the pianist and guitarist reach a similar mixture of andante projection the resulting narrower focus unites strands at the conclusion. Serries seems determined to expose his guitar techniques in numerous situations. Yet these discs show how diverse the result from nearly instrumentally similar trios can be.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Invisible: 1. New Tone 2. Tapestry 3. The Invisible

Personnel: Invisible: Rodrigo Amado (tenor saxophone); Dirk Serries (archtop guitar) and Andrew Lisle (drums)

Track Listing: Tryptophan: 1. I 2. II

Personnel: Tryptophan: José Lencastre (alto saxophone); Martina Verhoeven (Crumar piano) and Dirk Serries (guitar)