RASKIN / MOIMÊME / FAUSTINO / OLIVEIRA / MARTINS

This month Jon Raskin came to Lisbon with the OrkestRova to play Electric Ascension, a new arrangement of John Coltrane’s 1965 masterpiece. After the electrifying opening concert at the ‘Jazz em Agosto’ festival, Jon manifested interest in playing informally with local musicians. The following quintet was set up on the spur-of-the-moment playing to a house full of musicians and music lovers; the Clean Feed crew, Larry Applebaum, Kurt Gottschalk, Steve Swell and Mandarin Movie (Chicago) where all in the house, contributing to what turned out to be a really fun and eventful jazz party.

for Jon Raskin see: http://www.jonraskin.com/

Jon Raskin – alto saxophone
Abdul Moimême – electric guitar
Hernâni Faustino – double bass
José Oliveira – drums and small percussion
Miguel Martins - percussion

Recorded at Luso Café, 4 August 2005
Composition by Raskin / Moimême / Faustino / Oliveira / Martins
(photo: Rodrigo Amado)

PATRICK BRENNAN

Drums Not Bombs was originally conceived for a small ensemble (released on CIMP Records, #305). As in many of Patrick Brennan’s solo performances the saxophonist strips down his pieces to the bare minimum, retaining nevertheless a sense of the original arrangement. The remaining instruments are insinuated as much in the playing as in the silences.

Patrick Brennan – alto saxophone

Composition: Patrick Brennan
Recorded at Luso Café, Set. 2005, courtesy of Patrick Brennan
(oil painting on canvas: Randee Silv)

PATRICK BRENNAN

As a result of a visit to Lisbon, in the summer of 2005, New York based saxophonist Patrick Brennan gave a series of group and solo performances. Backatchya was the last of the recorded pieces performed at the Clean Feed record store. The composition originally came out on a CIMP CD entitled Saunters, Walk, Ambles in duo with bassist Lisle Ellis.

Patrick Brennan – alto saxophone

Composition: Patrick Brennan
Recorded: at Trem Azul Jazz Store, Set. 2005, courtesy of PB
(photo: Maria João Velez)

VAR IA BLE GEO ME TRY OR QUES TRA VAR IA BLE GEO ME
ME VAR IA BLE GEO ME TRY OR QUES TRA VAR IA BLE GEO
GEO ME VAR IA BLE GEO ME TRY OR QUES TRA VAR IA BLE
BLE GEO ME VAR IA BLE GEO ME TRY OR QUES TRA VAR IA
IA BLE GEO ME VAR IA BLE GEO ME TRY OR QUES TRA VAR
VAR IA BLE GEO ME VAR IA BLE GEO ME TRY OR QUES TRA
TRA VAR IA BLE GEO ME VAR IA BLE GEO ME TRY OR QUES
QUES TRA VAR IA BLE GEO ME VAR IA BLE GEO ME TRY OR
OR QUES TRA VAR IA BLE GEO ME VAR IA BLE GEO ME TRY
TRY OR QUES TRA VAR IA BLE GEO ME VAR IA BLE GEO ME
ME TRY OR QUES TRA VAR IA BLE GEO ME VAR IA BLE GEO
GEO ME TRY OR QUES TRA VAR IA BLE GEO ME VAR IA BLE
BLE GEO ME TRY OR QUES TRA VAR IA BLE GEO ME VAR IA
IA BLE GEO ME TRY OR QUES TRA VAR IA BLE GEO ME VAR
VAR IA BLE GEO ME TRY OR QUES TRA VAR IA BLE GEO ME

As promised we now post a quality recording of the Teatro Nacional Dona Maria II / VGO concert. For those in a hurry track #27 offers a mono version with faster download speed.

Ernesto Rodrigues - direction
Musicians same as in track #9

Recorded live at Teatro Nacional D. Maria II, Lisbon, 25/06/2006,
Recording courtesy of Rafael del Pozo
Composition by VGO
(photos & graphics: AM)

AUSAR-SAHU / MOIMÊME / SUSHI / WATTS

In mid autumn of 2003, Rashiim Ausar-Sahu appeared in Lisbon, unannounced, on a 3 day sightseeing blitzkrieg. The bassist also dropped by during a rehearsal and the result was short jam sustained by his steady hand. The recording was transformed into a limited edition CD-R that will soon beat the charts at eBay.

Rachiim Ausar-Sahu – double bass
Abdul Moimême – tenor sax
Bernard Sushi – fender rhodes
António Watts – drums

Recorded in Lisbon, Oct. 2003
Composition by Ausar-Sahu, Watts, Sushi, Moimême
(recording courtesy of Kyron)

WATTS / FAUSTINO / MOIMÊME

This theme started as an improvisation around ‘Visão de Vishnu…’ (A Moimême original from NA FLORESTA DA CHUVA ELECTRICA) using the electric guitar to produce a sitar sound in the upper stop of the strings. The music quickly shifted direction moving into other regions.

Abdul Moimême – electric guitar
Hernâni Faustino – double bass
António Watts – drums

Recorded live at Trem Azul Jazz Store, Lisbon, 14/03/2006
Composition by Watts, Faustino, Moimême
(recording courtesy of Jorge Chagas)

WATTS / FAUSTINO / MOIMÊME

A new trio was formed to explore an eclectic repertoire where swing, rock and spontaneous music served as vehicles for total improvisation.

Abdul Moimême – electric guitar
Hernâni Faustino – double bass
António Watts – drums

Recorded live at Trem Azul Jazz Store, Lisbon, 14/03/2006
Composition by Watts, Faustino, Moimême
(recording courtesy of Jorge Chagas, graphic design: AM)

RODRIGUES / MARTINS / MOIMÊME

This was the second and final improvisation of the set.

Ernesto Rodrigues – viola
Miguel Martins - melodica
Abdul Moimême – clarinet

Recorded live at Luso Café, Lisbon, 23/03/2006
Composition by Rodrigues, Martins, Moimême

RODRIGUES / MARTINS / MOIMÊME

This was another ‘soirée musical’ organized by Miguel Martins. The group was originally conceived as a two strings and two woodwinds affaire, but as one of the members didn’t make it the remaining trio was left to commence and finish the hostilities.

Ernesto Rodrigues – viola
Miguel Martins - violin, melodica
Abdul Moimême – clarinet

Recorded live at Luso Café, Lisbon, 23/03/2006
Composition by Rodrigues, Martins, Moimême
(graphic design: Unrequested Design Inc. / Nuno Horta Santos)

AMP

AMP was a short lived one night stand originally conceived as an electro-acoustic improvisation unit. The one and only concert lasted approximately 35min, the entire life span of the group. This was the evening’s final improvisation with the two strats biting through the thick double bass sound (unfortunately very subdued in this recording).

Abdul Moimême – fender stratocaster
Manuel Mota - fender stratocaster
Pedro Gonçalves – double bass

Recorded live at Trem Azul Jazz Store, Lisbon, 07/03/2005
Composition by Gonçalves, Mota, Moimême
(recording courtesy of Jorge Chagas; graphic design by Jorge Trindade)

VGO

Under normal circumstances Freemusic would not have posted the encore at Bomba Suicida: the main theme was formally much more interesting and the distortion level of this short divertimento was high. But these are not normal circumstances and the sheer intensity of the piece seemed to fit perfectly with the images drawn by the hands of Mazen Kerbaj.

Music by VGO
Recorded at Bomba Suicida, Lisbon, 15/07/2006
(images by Mazen Kerbaj, at: http://mazenkerblog.blogspot.com/ )

VGO

The hot and unforgiving Sahara wind decided to answer the calls of Nirankar Khalsa and the Sudani gang by paying us a visit! The result was a thermometer rise way above the 90’s. On this occasion the VGO went to play in the black curtain clad room of the BOMBA SUICIDA where the many fans, scattered throughout the floor, did little to alleviate the heat surge. The band was closing the night so it had a scarce 30 min. to show what it was worth. The music sounds just like the thick atmosphere in which it was played: densely textured and hot!

Ernesto Rodrigues – direction, violin
Guilherme Rodrigues – cello
Hernâni Faustino – double bass
Sei Miguel – pocket trumpet
Eduardo Chagas – trombone
Miguel Bernardo – clarinet
Jorge Lampreia – flute, soprano sax
Lizuarte Borges – alto sax
Peter Bastiaan – alto sax
João Pedro Viegas – tenor sax
Abdul Moimême - tenor sax
Luís Lopes – electric guitar
Armando Pereira – accordion
Jorge Trindade – tapes
Adriana Sá – electronics
João Silva – field recordings
João Ricardo – self made instruments
César Burago – percussion
José Oliveira – drums, percussion
Monsieur Trinité – percussion

Music by VGO
Recorded at Bomba Suicida, Lisbon, 15/07/2006
(graphic design: Jorge Trindade)

NIRANKAR KHALSA +

Trimarmalia Blues is a mystical journey where the blues bridges the gap between the American and African continents, but also serves as vehicle for an inner voyage. A short version of this almost trance-like experience appears on SUDANI, a Najib Sudani /Patrick Brennan recording. Nevertheless, the actual theme lasted for nearly a full hour of music! Freemusic now posts a 23min. version that tries to captures the flow of the original piece.

for SUDANI: http://sonispheric.tripod.com
for Nirankar Khalsa: http://www.albertoconde.com/ACTrioNiran.html

Nirankar Khalsa – lead vocals, bamboo flute
Najib Sudani - guinbri, tabal, vocals
Bujmaa Sudani - Qaraqeb, tabal, vocals
M'barek Sudani – Qaraqeb, vocals

Recorded in the villages of Sidi Kaouki & Tlata Henchene
(Essaouira, Morocco), May 1999.
(photos: Yvonne Donoghue and Randee Silv)

ALTERED NATIVES

Essaouira is a microtonal piece straight out of the Brennan songbook. It works as a short suite that begins with woodwind and brass tone clusters invoking the eerie sounds of the Sirocco wind blowing out of the Sahara (at least that’s what it sound like to me). The piece later continues with flute (Bastiaan) and drums (Salero) solos before the whole band joins in for a final collective groove.

Gregg Moore – tuba, trombone
Patrick Brennan – alto saxophone, percussion
Peter Bastiaan – voice, arabic flute, tenor sax, drums
Acácio Salero – alto saxophone, drums

Composition by Patrick Brennan
Recorded at the Hot Club, 26-27/02/1999
(photo: Maria João Velez)

ALTERED NATIVES

This was the second tune of the 3rd set, by which time the band was blowing at full throttle.

Gregg Moore - tuba
Patrick Brennan – alto saxophone
Peter Bastiaan – drums
Acácio Salero - drums

Compositions: Gregg Moore (?), Ornette Coleman, traditional...
Recorded at the Hot Club, 26-27/02/1999

PATEK TRIO (+3)

Patek Trio was originally formed by Miguel Martins and even though the word trio appears in the ensemble’s name its actual formation is as unpredictable as the music itself. For this specific gig, new members where added to for a sextet that went to improvise in one of the most unsympathetic environments for this kind of musical performance: the small stage of one of Lisbon’s largest selling machine, FNAC. Nevertheless the public allowed us to pursue our endeavours without any sort of apparent upheaval (…there where rumours of a lynch mob in the making).

Miguel Martins - trumpet, melodica, percussion
Guilherme Rodrigues - pocket trumpet
Eduardo Chagas - trombone
Ernesto Rodrigues - viola
Abdul Moimême - electric guitar, gong
Hernâni Faustino – double bass

Composition by Martins, Rodrigues, Chagas, Rodrigues; Moimême, Faustino
Recorded at FNAC, Chiado, Lisbon, 13/04/2006
(aquatint by Cassandra Constant: ‘Ensayando los Pasos’, 2005)

MOIMÊME/ SERGUE / WATTS Trio + ERNESTO RODRIGUES

This trio is another ensemble that came out of the Portuguese group Hipnotica. Somehow, for the first concert, the music was publicised as lounge jazz. What the public heard was something quite different! Watts was particularly inspired throughout the whole night and Sergue finally stood out on this final track. The music rolled pretty well throughout a relatively short 3 theme set. But the peak was unquestionably reached when violinist Ernesto Rodrigues joined in for one last collective improvisation. His sinuous glissando at the very end of the track was a beautiful and final master’s touch.

Abdul Moimême – tenor saxophone
Sergue – double bass
António Watts – drums
+
Ernesto Rodrigues - violin

Composition by Rodrigues, Moimême, Sergue, Watts
Recorded at the Luso Cafe, 13/10/2005
(photo: Rui Portugal)

RAON / MOIMÊME

Having participated in the Portuguese group Hipnotica, where both musicians met, they decided to form a duo to explore the unorthodox combination of harp and tenor saxophone - with some electronics in between. This was the last improvisation of their first concert.

Eduardo Raon - harp
Abdul Moimême – tenor sax

Composition by Moimême, Raon
Recorded live at the Luso Café, Lisbon, 30/09/2004

MICHÄEL ATTIAS TRIO

The ‘Jazz ao Centro Clube’ (JACC) was founded in 2003, promoting various activities including a jazz festival each year. In parallel to the main event the club organized after hour jam sessions. In Nov. 2005 the three nights of improvisation where open with the Michäel Attias trio. Later on in the evening Michäel would call up musicians to play in a variety of formations that included members of the band, participants in the festival and any other musician present that might want to join the celebration. The public, composed manly of a very young audience, absolutely adhered to the music. The consecutive nights grew in crescendo with more and more people attending. In the end, the screams of enthusiasm and the sound of dancing feet almost equalled the sound blaring out of the bandstand. The three nights where emitted live on the RUC (Coimbra’s University Radio), hosted by Paulo Santos.
Attias and accomplices opened the sessions with Dark Net, a haunting theme from the saxophonist’s first album: RENKU.

for Michäel Attias: http://www.michaelattias.com
for Coimbra University Radio(RUC): http://www.ruc.pt
for Jazz ao Centro Clube (JACC): http://www.jacc.pt

Michaël Attias - alto saxophone
Sean Conly – double bass
Takeaki Toriyama - drums

Recorded live at Salão Brasil, Coimbra.
Emitted live on the radio by RUC 107.9 FM, Coimbra, 03/11/2005
(Image edited from an original photo by Yvonne Donoghue)

SONICSCAPE

This sonic landscape was recorded as warm-up exercise for the VGO concert that would follow the next day. The reverb and sound effects are exclusively produced with the guitar itself, using no electronic gadget of any sort.

Abdul Moimême – solo electric guitar

Composition by Abdul Moimême
Recorded: Lisbon, 23/06/2006
(ink on cardboard by RHS, circa 1980)

KERBAJ / SEHNAOUI / RODRIGUES / RODRIGUES / SANTOS

Lebanese musicians Mazen Kerbaj and Sharif Sehnaqui came to Lisbon with the intent to play with local musicians and record a CD for the Portuguese label CREATIVE SOURCES. The concert held at the Trem Azul Jazz Store worked as a rehearsal for the recording that followed later that same afternoon. Here we hear the intellectual and the sensible blending into an extremely well balanced performance.

for Creative Sources see: http://www.creativesourcesrec.com/
for Trem Azul see: http://www.tremazul.com/
for Mazen Kerbaj see: www.kerbaj.com/

Mazen Kerbaj - trumpet
Sharif Sehnaqui - guitar
Ernesto Rodrigues - viola
Guilherme Rodrigues - cello
Carlos Santos - electronics

Recorded live at Trem Azul Jazz Store, Lisbon, 23/06/2006
Composition by Kerbaj, Sehnaoui, Rodrigues, Rodrigues, Santos
(graphic design: Jorge Trindade, ilustration: M. Kerbaj)

VGO

TREM AZUL / Jazz Store Festival / Issue #1
The VGO played recently at the ‘Jazz Store Festival / Issue #1’, dedicated to jazz and improvised music.

The following text presented the orchestra:
‘The music that is produced by the VARIABLE GEOMETRY ORCHESTRA (VGO) results from the juxtaposition of acoustic and electronic sound matter, that constantly searches for small details and meanings – the sounds emerge from nothingness only to submerge themselves back into the initial silence. The subsequent formal organization of chaos tries to apply new concepts of indeterminism as well as instantaneous composition, through the asymmetrical eruption of alternated moments of sound and silence (the absence of identifiable sound). Nevertheless, the latter prevail. The sounds being produced have subliminal and psycho-acoustic characteristics and include the possibility of complete silence. This leaves space for the musicians to regain their natural rhythm and respiration, as well as their sense of random pulsation. It also allows them to listen to all the sound events that are happening at any given moment and thus to act accordingly or, contrarily, to simply listen to what some other musician has just begun, without responding immediately and thus filling up the musical space unnecessarily.’

Ernesto Rodrigues – direction, violin, viola
Pedro Costa – violin
Guilherme Rodrigues – cello
Hernâni Faustino – bass
Sei Miguel – pocket trumpet
Eduardo Chagas – trombone
Bruno Parrinha – clarinets
Miguel Bernardo – clarinet
Jorge Lampreia – flute, soprano sax
Nuno Torres – alto sax
Lizuarte Borges – alto sax
Peter Bastiaan – alto sax, voice
Alípio C. Neto – tenor sax
Rui Horta Santos – tenor sax, flute
Luís Lopes – electric guitar
Armando Pereira – accordion
Ivan Cabral – didgeridoo
Jorge Trindade – tapes
Adriana Sá – electronics
Carlos Santos – electronics
Miguel Martins – melodica, xylophone, percussion
César Burago – percussion
José Oliveira – drums, percussion
Monsieur Trinité – percussion.

Recorded: Trem Azul, Lisbon, 13/05/2006
Music by VGO
(photo: Rui Portugal)

HOT SOUP / Circumspect

Patrick Brennan – alto saxophone
Rashiim Ausar-Sahu – double bass
Acácio Salero - drums

Recorded at the Hot Club, Lisbon, 08/1999
Composition by Patrick Brennan
(original lead sheet: Patrick Brennan)

HOT SOUP / Scissor Bump

Patrick Brennan – alto saxophone
Rashiim Ausar-Sahu – double bass
Acácio Salero - drums

Recorded at the Hot Club, Lisbon, 08/1999
Composition by Patrick Brennan

HOT SOUP / Covert

Covert was the second title played at the Hot Club

Patrick Brennan – alto saxophone
Rashiim Ausar-Sahu – double bass
Acácio Salero - drums

Recorded at the Hot Club, Lisbon, 08/1999
Composition by Patrick Brennan

visit http://freemusic.podomatic.com/ for more music

SONIC OPENINGS UNDER PRESSURE
HOT SOUP / Which Way What

After recording ‘Which Way What’ in august 95 Patrick Brennan returned permanently to the US in the summer of 1999. He had been living in Portugal since the early 90 and apart from numerous solo performances around Portugal; he formed his luso-american version of Sonic Openings Under Pressure, with whom he recorded that great CD. The group included Rashiim Ausar-Sahu on double bass (from Brooklyn, NY) and Acácio Salero, a relatively unknown Portuguese drummer at the time. The trio was booked at Lisbon’s Hot Club. During the two nights there they played the same repertoire as in Which Way What. Nevertheless, by then all of the members of the band had seriously matured on their respective instruments. The music had also sunk deeply into the collective spirit and the result was a magic 1st night! The recording was unfortunately done on an old ‘mono’ walkman. Surprisingly, the wave master sounded very good, given the circumstances. The recording, complied Hot Soup, became an instant bootleg hit and sold some 6 copies. You can now download some excerpts from that underground rarity!

for Patrick Brennan: http://sonispheric.tripod.com
for Acácio Salero: http://www.cleanfeed-records.com

Patrick Brennan – alto saxophone
Rashiim Ausar-Sahu – double bass
Acácio Salero - drums

Recorded at the Hot Club, Lisbon, 08/1999
Composition by Patrick Brennan
Cover design by Anton (Antonio Gomes)
sINK wRECORDS 199901

WADE MATTHEWS & TRIO

Miguel Martins, one of Lisbon’s most daring promoters (also a radical post-Dada musical maverick) invited Wade Matthews to come to Lisbon to play with different Portuguese improvisers. The venue chosen in this case was the Jamaica club, a discotheque for decades associated with the red light district of Cais do Sodré. It was a thrill to go back there (an old-time favourite hangout for university students) and play for one of the most silent crowds ever (an audience of about 25!). We had never played with Wade before and following his suggestion, organized the concert into 4 improvisations: three duets including Wade and a collective improvisation with the quartet. The duets where composed as following:

#1 Matthews – laptop electronics / Horta Santos – water bell;
#2 Matthews – bass clarinet / Sergue – double bass
#3 Matthews – alto flute / Raon – harp.

Even though only the quartet is posted, some of the other pieces will follow later.

Wade Matthews – alto flute, bass clarinet, electronics
Sergue – double bass
Eduardo Raon - harp
Rui Horta Santos – tenor sax, water bell, percussion

Composition by Matthews, Sergue, Raon, Horta Santos
Recorded live at the Jamaica, Lisbon, 18/01/2006
(photo: Rui Portugal)

SEVEN EASY PIECES FOR WATER BELL / Piece #7

‘Piece #7’ was extracted from yet another limited edition of CD-Rs entitled ‘Seven Easy Pieces For Water Bell’. The idea was simply to explore textures and the sheer metallic sound of the percussion instruments juxtaposed against the eeriness of the water bell (an ancient toy of the Chinese emperor himself… so I’ve been told.). The majority of these instruments where kindly lent by Philip Cabau. The composition superimposes various previously recorded loops.

Abdul Moimême – composition, water bell, gong, bells, cymbals and chimes.
Recorded in Lisbon, 15/12/04 – 04/01/05
sINK wRECORDS snk 200501

NA FLORESTA DA CHUVA ELÉCTRICA / Double Talk

‘Double Talk (a tribute to Barry Guy)' is precisely that: a tribute to a great composer and improviser. This piece was extracted from a limited edition of CD-Rs entitled ‘Na Floresta da Chuva Eléctrica (‘Inside the Electric Rain Forest’), an electric guitar disc by Abdul Moimême. This improvisation tries to capture the abstract feeling of Barry’s solos. It was executed on a Fender Startocaster specially tune for the occasion and is totally unedited and without effects.

Abdul Moimême – composition, electric guitar
Recorded: 11/2002
sINK wRECORDS snk 200201