Carlos Zingaro/João Madeira

Zingaro/Lonberg-Holm/Madeira/Stoffner
Na Parede
4DaRecord 4DR CD016

Confirming the strength of contemporary Portuguese improvised music, these discs not only emphasize its variations, but also record how responsibility for it is being passed to a younger generation. Featured on both sets is 77-years old violinist Carlos Zingaro, one of the progenitor of the country’s creative music from the late 1960s onwards. Also on hand is double bassist João Madeira, 46, who is involved with many exploratory groups today. Arcada Pendular is a duet, whereas Na Parede further demonstrate the universality of today’s Lusitanian free music as the two are joined by American cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and Swiss guitarist Florian Stoffner.

During the quartet disc, the visitors, who have worked with everyone from John Butcher and Paul Lovens to Dave Rempis and Tim Dasiy, add to the string focused elaborations as well as serving as a mid-pitched intermediaries between the violinist’s often squeaky and spiccato line projections and the bassist’s grounded string stops. No matter how accelerated the pitches become or how many textural pivots are distributed among the four, interaction is such that each instrument’s individual notes can be easily identified.

As arco slides riff and glissandi and pizzicato strides and strums are emphasized throughout, the most comprehensive iteration is on “Aqua”.  Introduced by tripled fiddle stokes, strained string rattles, col legno pressure and sharpened sul ponticello turns emanate from the three bow-directed instruments. At mid-point however a measured double-bass refraction reorients the piece towards a softer and more conversational passage. That doesn’t last long. While the cellist and bassist anchor the exposition, they also create wood-splintering resembling motifs, further amplified by the violinist’s upwards string sprints. The contrapuntal result attains polyphonic concentration as Stoffner’s finger-picking frails cut through the thickened narration.

Elsewhere the expositions are shaped so that layered synergy is emphasized. Zingaro’s violin riffs, whether slashing hoedown-like tinctures or sweetened motifs, are at the top of the sound pyramid. Continuous, sometimes threatening and always rhythmic guitar comping take up the mid-section, sul tasto cellos slaps and stops are slightly lower-pitched, while, double bass slaps and buzzes preserve the bottom.

Among jagged and ringing string extensions from all on the concluding “Cal” there’s a violin-double bass duet that stands out. Isolated before Londberg-Holm and Stoffer picking and sweeping take over, this meeting of challenging violin strains and answering bass resonations, adumbrates the duo work of a few months later on the other disc and confirms the two’s mutual respect.

Flash forward five months later as Zingaro and Madeira are united again for 11 briefer improvisations, but with no auxiliary musicians involved. This isn’t a reductionist variation of the other disc though, but an undertaking to show how many textures can be emphasized with various pressures and tones on only eight strings.

At first it may seem that the younger musician is a little too reticent in sharing the space with the older one since Zingaro appears to introducing each track. However by “Tardes De Agosto” Madeira ‘s assertive bass string pops and near-percussion suggestions start off that track with proper gravitas. Further amplified with wood slaps and frenetic rubs, it’s left to Zingaro to squeal string patterns on top.

Many of the other tracks reverse this procedure. The violinist scours broken-chord affiliations with super spiccato slices as Madeira provides rugged responses in the form of echoing vibrations, measured stops or infrequently fragmented string pauses and downward slides. Despite the dynamic emphasis on linear aggression, pinched lyricism and hints of melodicism sneak through the antiphonic patterns.

By “Agora Um Tardo” the duo strategy has been perfected. While keening and elevated string slashes still define Zingaro’s expositions, diminutive pizzicato accents are also exposed. Madeira’s strokes too remain the session’s anchor. But his thickened singular tones not only play cat-and-mouse with fiddle squeaks, but also expand the accompaniment with sudden contrapuntal pitch slides and snoring pressure. Overall the guidelines seem to be that the unexpected is always expected to make the duet exceptional.

Having gone though a period of trail-blazing expansion and widening consolidation prospects for more advancement of Portuguese music seem bright. On the evidence of these discs, this has been done by capably building on previous timbral advances.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Na: 1. Pedra 2. Barro 3. Aqua 4. Cal

Personnel: Na: Carlos Zíngaro (violin); Flo Stoffner (guitar); Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello) and João Madeira (bass)

Track Listing: Arcada: 1. Luz Última 2. Arcada Pendular 3. Consoante 4. Istmos 5. Tardes De Agosto 6. Policromia Dos Mármores 7. Outono Em Um Sopra 8. Agora Um Tardo 9. Na Palma De Um Instante 10. Entre O Invisível 11. Som Primeiro

Personnel: Arcada: Carlos Zíngaro (violin) and João Madeira (bass)