David Bixler: Incognito Ergo Sum (davidbixler.com)
The second release from saxophonist David Bixler’s trio aims to celebrate anonymity and strip away stylistic borders – if you believe the marketing materials. In fact, the three instruments move around the music with distinctive mannerisms and key stylistic influences are near-impossible to miss. It’s a record with bebop bits, rock rhythms and free-jazz flair from three strikingly singular players.
Bixler’s alto and soprano are the loudest, most talkative voices on the album. Dan Loomis offers stand-out solos with an explorative quality, although his bass is barely audible in much of the mix. Percussionist Fabio Rojas is a handful of decibels better off. It’s a 14-track recording with 12 compositions from the lead artist, plus two borrowed tunes.
Seven of those original pieces arrive as short, punctuating interludes that investigate and embellish a stop-start shape. These tracks open up into driving saxophone improvisations above a twitchy swing feeling, enunciated by clicky cymbals and bumpy bass.
The compositions mainly feature compact melodies delivered by Bixler. Liminal Space is a typical example, with its mysterious atmosphere and meandering rhythms. The band leader’s phrasing emphasises rapid-fire runs and neatly packaged patterns. His crisp saxophone sound leans to one side, resting on the pitch but threatening to slip off.
Traditional Scottish folk song Johnny Cope is the most free-ranging track. Soprano saxophone whistles the tune while percussion shivers and plucked bass skulks in shadows. After a couple of minutes, the group launches a bouncy groove followed by increasingly tense solos from Bixler and Loomis.
Despite its name, Incognito Ergo Sum presents a trio of unique personalities who interweave strands of different stylistic vocabularies with dexterity and grace. Bixler positions his saxophone in the limelight, but his bandmates make their presence felt at key moments. A polished album.
Anne Efternøler and Lige Børn: Brugskunst (Hobby Horse)
Notifications and newsflashes get booted into the North Sea on this record. Danish trumpeter Anne Efternøler’s second release with her lopsided Lige Børn formation aims to provide an antidote to today’s age of information overload. It’s a minimalist album of bare-bones compositions and controlled experiments. The group explores moods and motifs without distractions.
The sparse and unmuddied quality of the music owes much to the instrumentation. Three bassists provide the only diversion from Efternøler’s hesitant horn. Richard Andersson, Anders Christensen and Thomas Morgan overlap each other and underpin their band leader. They are a patiently playful group, with an after-you attitude that pulls listeners nearer to the speakers.
One musician hogs the spotlight on Hertil Og Lidt Længere. It’s a two-minute showcase for Efternøler’s range of extended techniques. She begins with fuzzy pulses of viscous low notes. Around halfway through, listeners detect the trumpeter singing into the instrument with vocalisations that meld together with sounds from the instrument.
One minute is enough for En Kortvarig Mobilisering Af Kropslige Resourcer. This is among the record’s more noise-adjacent moments, with squawky and scratchy sounds that evoke industrial wastelands and haunted forests.
One note forms the foundation for All You Need Is Less. Efternøler holds a long tone while a regular-yet-nervy bassline hurries towards the horizon. After two minutes, bows bother strings on the other basses. It’s an unnerving piece with wounded-animal energy.
Brugskunst is a less-is-more album that offers a deep, broad and rich experience. Efternøler has a rare capacity to construct expansive and immersive music with just a pinchful of sonic resources. This record will resonate with sharp-eared, sensitive listeners.
Isabelle Olivier: Impressions (Rewound Echoes)
Open compositions, unusual perspectives and abundant movement characterise impressionist paintings. French harpist Isabelle Olivier transposes those traits into tunes on this shapeshifting release. The written material is marked by melodic mood swings and the improvisations feel consistently out of whack. It’s an album where colours swim around and bleed together.
The lead artist had plenty of help getting this masterpiece onto the canvas. There’s a string quartet, plus drummer Baptiste Thiebault. Olivier’s two sons also mucked in: Pianist and accordionist Tom Olivier-Beuf and electronic musician Raphael Olivier. Many tracks borrow titles from famous artworks, while collective improvisations add unexpected hues and textures.
Olivier’s 94-year-old mother is the muse for Fleurs De Soleil, which addresses Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings. After a tentative start, right-hand piano arpeggios inject momentum and plucked harp strings add dabs of pigment. It’s a typically calm composition with a classical feeling.
Electronics shape the sound on Open A Window. Echoes and spacey effects give the track pleasing depth, more like unlocking a portal through the sky than propping a domestic porthole ajar. It’s a twinkling and pretty piece that encourages introspection.
Improvised one- or two-minute tracks are sprinkled in beside the written material. These interludes bring darker, more unsettled energy. Fog On The Lake, for example, is a spooky excursion marked by sudden movements and sadness.
Those improvisations are the jazziest elements of the album – until the final track, Coltrane’s Impressions. It’s a record that sticks close to its classical influences, but Olivier’s compositional chops enable the sweeping vistas and endless surprises that give the music its charm. Each brushstroke and accent is carefully placed. The effect is vivid, bold and beguiling.
