Berlin Art Quartet

A cherished keepsake from a band at its pinnacle which may not exist in this form anymore is Live at MIM recorded in 2019. A Teutonic extension of the fabled New York Art Quartet (NYAQ), the Berlin Art Quartet (BAQ) was founded by drummer Reinhard Brüggemann in 2013 and includes trombonist Matthias Müller, tenor saxophonist Matthias Schubert and bassist Matthias Bauer. Among  them they’ve worked with everyone from Simon Nabatov to Frank Paul Schubert.

Extension doesn’t mean duplication and during the five improvisations Bauer’s in-the-moment pacing and thick spiccato strokes show that he’s more accomplished than any one who filled the NYAQ  bass chair. Rumbles, smacks and pinpointed cymbal accents also confirm the elasticity and power of Reinhard Brüggemann’s percussion strategies.

That leaves Müller and Schubert free to play the way they wish without having to follow earlier styles. The trombonist for one mixes moderated plunger tones with speedy portamento runs, jarring sudden whinnies with interlude in which he forces toneless breaths though his horn’s body tube. Schubert’s output includes biting altissimo squeaks that challenge Müller’s speedy slide pumping; thin whistles and mouthpiece sucking evolving alongside extended drum rumbles; and squeals and tongue stops that face hearty string strums.

This interaction is exhibited in extended (“Gegenseitigkeit – Mutuality”) or briefer (“Hymnus – Hymn”) instances, with the titles not exactly matching the performance. The latter for instance includes energized brass rips and scoops as well as slowly thinning reed split tones atop beat straddling double bass pops. Meanwhile “Gegenseitigkeit – Mutuality” takes its shape from Schubert’s ascending multiphonic whines, growls and tongue stops interlocking with Müller’s ascending slurs and note projections. The climax is reached in the penultimate minutes as the horns’ horizontal bites and undulating smears connect with drum stick clicks and spiccato bass string stops.

A worthy addition to the BAQ’s slim discography. But with more than a half-decade’s distance and with the players other commitments, one wonders if this was also the band’s last hurrah.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Aufsturz – Up-Crash 2. Bewegung in Stille – Motion in Silence 3. Gegenseitigkeit – Mutuality 4. Viererbande – Gang of Four 5. Hymnus – Hymn

Personnel: Matthias Müller (trombone); Matthias Schubert (tenor saxophone) Matthias Bauer (bass) and Reinhard Brüggemann (drums)