Audrey Lauro/Christian Pruvost/Peter Orins

Three years along, the trio of Belgium alto saxophonist Audrey Lauro and French players, trumpeter Christian Pruvost and drummer Peter Orins has solidified its creative contributions into skillful and singular settings This is in spite of the group being a part-time gig. Members of the Muzzix collective, Pruvost and Orins are also involved in multiple projects including Kaze with Satoko Fujii, with the trumpeter also part of the Dedalus ensemble and the drummer playing with everyone from Sakina Abdou to Christine Wodrascka. Lauro is equally eclectic, working with, among many others, Yuko Oshima and Mia Zabelka.

Dans-Sons As We Are’s five instant compositions demonstrate how the trio members’ interaction is more affiliated with particular and uncommon timbral concoctions than linear evolution. Still part of the album’s fascination is noting how intonation evolves. Percussion backbeats and melodic choruses from the horns are missing here. Instead there’s particular evolution that balances crafted procedures, peaceful stops and sudden textural pivots.

As the three’s timbres circle and intertwine, Orins’ strategy encompasses gentle drum pitter patter and effects, idiophone bell ringing, chain rattling, and, on the title track, the suggestion of accompanying electrified wave forms. Pruvost’s brassy explorations around portamento flutters and supple ripples share space with powerful triplet explosions, gritty brassiness and half-valve smears. His infrequent toneless breaths are used to greater effect by Lauro. Matched with percussion thumps and brass buzzes her reed output circles through drawn out held notes, mouthpiece suckles and overblowing, singular tongue slaps and key percussion, prestissimo squeaks and downwards slurs.

Overall the elongated title tune’s horizontal blowing that edges onto flatulent effects from both horns during an assembly line of buzzing reed vibrations and gutbucket brass snores is outstanding. However “Allez à l’Ocean” is , the defining track.. Surprisingly dry and pressurized, the timbral combination from all three result in a near organ-like rumbles and  pumps. Drum rim shakes, saxophone tongue slaps and air projected without valve pressure from the trumpet isolate individual processes until high-pitched twitters give way to timbral intertwining.

Coupling atonality with art Lauro, Pruvost and Orins deserve to be heard more often in this context.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Rayons sur un fil 2. Reste d’air 3. Allez à l’Ocean 4. Rien stable 5. Dans-Sons As We Are

Personnel: Christian Pruvost (trumpet); Audrey Lauro (alto saxophone) and Peter Orins (drums)