LISBON IMPROVISATION PLAYERS — Motion (review)

LISBON IMPROVISATION PLAYERS — Motion album cover Album · 2004 · Avant-Garde Jazz Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
snobb
Sax player Rodrigo Amado was one of the key figures in new Portuguese adventurous jazz during first decade of the new Millennium. On the wave of his homeland avant-garde jazz scene's popularity explosion, Amado's lead projects won respectful reputation around Europe and partially in the States. Still, differently from series of recordings under his own name, Rodrigo's earlier project Lisbon Improvisation Players stays in the shade, and it's a shame since Player's music is right on the level of any of Amado's later bands, and in moments even overtakes many of them.

For "Motion" Rodrigo forms Portuguese-American quartet where he plays tenor and baritone in a company with American soprano/tenor Steve Adams with support from Portuguese drummer Acacio Salero and American double bassist Ken Filliano.

All of the album's material is pure improvisation, but same way as with many other Amado's works, it sounds well organized, full of tunes and generally quite accessible. Based on so-called "improvisational composition" techniques, Amado adds a lot of tuneful snippets to his music and even if each of the four quartet's members are soloist here nothing sounds too chaotic or extremely "out". Even more - the opener "Perpetual Explorers", is an improvisational composition of rare beauty containing lots of lyrical tones, fragile grace and in all sounds quite close to modern academic composed music. "Motion" coming after has more muscle and is more free-jazz rooted still having all that melodic charm.

If only the whole album was like these two songs it could be crowned as modern creative jazz masterpiece. Still, the album's central part loses this highest level of sharpness a bit still staying an excellent example of truly reflective high-class musician's collaboration.

Lasting near an hour, this album doesn't leave a feeling it's too long or too complex what is quite a common case with improvisational music. The main reason is Rodrigo's ability to make even quite quirky music to sound attractive and accessible (this ability with no doubt is a main reason of the success of many of his other albums as well).

More relaxed, more experimental and surprisingly often more beautiful music than one can find on other better known and more popular Rodrigo Amado albums, it can become a great surprise for fans of Amado's later works and with no doubt is a "must have" release for everyone with interest to Portuguese creative jazz.
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