December 6th’s Main Drag show was a night of five trios. Having a consistent ensemble size really accentuated the many approaches free-improv groups can take, with not much in common in terms of overall sound between the sets besides their trio-ness.
First up was a grand electronic adventure. Tenor saxophonist Ayumi Ishito, guitarist Trevor Deke Bajus (Main Drag’s resident handyman), and drummer Yuko Togami all augmented their instruments with synths and effects setups, and the result was a suitably alien collection of fascinating future-scapes. Though all players used their electronics to their full potential, the vibe of this set was largely subdued and serene - no noise for noise’s sake. These were detailed explorations of distant space scenes, evolving continuously through the unbroken set without any abrupt shifts in texture. The first entrances of the sax and the drums rose inexorably out of drones; even the linear interplay between Bajus and Ishito near the middle, full of funky flangered blues vocabulary, began and ended quite gradually. This and the final episode, a pretty, balladic section with minimal effects, were reminders that free improv doesn’t have to be tonally abstract, even with such a futuristic sonic arsenal.
Having heard (and reviewed) drummer Ken Kobayashi in a guitar/bass/drums trio before, I’d say his set tonight was particularly effective. Adam Caine on guitar and Adam Lane on bass matched Kobayashi’s high energy level in ways that sustained interest throughout. Everything Caine plays has meaning, and Lane always digs in hard; put it all together and we get a strongly concentrated intensity in the ensemble sound. Much of this was driven by Lane, who got a couple of featured moments but also supplied a lead voice at some climactic trio points. But Caine also had plenty of chances to steer the others to some riveting places, using relatively few effects and focusing on his trademark subtly romantic lyricism. The second half of the set, with its extended sections of groove, felt like rock engineered out of jazz. It ended in a way that seemed a surprise to the players as much as the audience: a noisy collective explosion shifted into some atmospheric drones, followed by a solo drum conclusion.
Adam Lane stayed on for the next group, Stephen Gauci’s weekly trio this time with Colin Hinton on drums. As usual, this venerable lineup created something truly spectacular. Hinton brings a vast dynamic range to this trio, spurring even noisier peaks of activity from Gauci and Lane than I hear with other drummers. For such an intense ensemble, there was a a lot of listening here, with Gauci and Hinton in particular tightly punctuating each other’s phrases. All three players had solo moments; Gauci’s stood out as his often do, toggling uncannily between the romantic and the apoplectic. There were plenty of opportunities for him to feature one of my favorite techniques of his that I haven’t heard other saxophonists explore like he does: the alternation between already high overtones and an even higher squeal register. Though often aggressive when the trio is going hard together, this can also be cute - like a bird’s voice break. At one point near the end Gauci’s squeal-licks transitioned seamlessly into Lane’s trademark wah-pedal bowing.
Fourth was a requisitely bizarre set by three of the most recognizable improvisers of the entire scene: soprano saxophonist Sam Newsome, bassist Caleb Duval, and drummer Kevin Murray. Newsome and Duval began without effects, joined by Murray’s exuberant clattering in a hyperactive, linear opening episode. Shortly after Duval first hit the pedals, Newsome busted out his own effects: a set of tubes, bells, and other acoustic objects with which he modifies his instrument. From that point on, except for a few later linear sections, this was less an interconnected improv trio than a noise set by three soloists on acoustic instruments. It certainly worked, though, in an alien way - not quite performance art and not quite outsider music. Between Duval’s unhinged bowing, Murray’s arsenal of esoteric stickings, and Newsome’s literal bag of tricks, this was as entertaining to watch as to listen to.
In some ways, the last group was even weirder. Andre Matos on guitar, Leo Genovese on synth and soprano sax, and Billy Mintz on drums brought us something truly from another dimension. Like the first set this one grew out of drones at the beginning, but instead of epic, serene space scenes, here was a chaotic, fractured vision of the multiverse. Mintz kept up a fun shuffling groove through the first 13 minutes for Matos and Genovese to slide around and shred over, improvising against both each other and the drums; but again, this was a group sound just absurd enough to work. There was a satisfying collective control of dynamics, with well-defined ups and downs throughout. Hearing Genovese on soprano right after Sam Newsome was quite an ear-opener; it was obvious that the energy of his lines and multiphonics was not coming from a place of chops like Newsome’s, though no less valid in their wildness and often matched in that regard by Matos with his fidgety two-handed tapping.
Watch the whole show on Youtube!
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