Josh Berman Trio

Luís Vicente Trio
Come Down Here
Clean Feed CF 675 CD

While it may be foolish to insist that there are particular European or American improvisational variants, but prescient players in both areas are evolving fresh models, especially when anomalous formulas are involved. Affiliating a cornet or trumpet in the front line with only double bass and drum accompaniment is one of these efforts. Here one American and one Portuguese trio approach the notion in their own way.

Varying his interpretations in an unhurried fashion over 11 compositions is Chicago-based cornetist Josh Berman, alongside bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Chris Corsano, On a different continent, trumpeter Luís Vicente offers up six tracks that are faster and showier with bassist Gonçalo Almeida and percussionist Pedro Melo Alves on board to burnish the sparkles. Among them the American threesome have worked with Tim Daisy, Mike Reed, Tomeka Reid, John Butcher and many others. Meanwhile the Portuguese crew has made music with John Dikeman, John Edwards, Eve Riser and Hery Paz to name a few.

Stripped down to near brass nakedness, Berman’s strategy is often decided with measured portamento tones affiliated with tandem double bass stops and drum rumble embellishments. Continuum is provided by repeating or recapitulating phrases throughout. Except for a brief authoritative solo on “Three Letters” with stinging stops and potent pops, , Roebke’s hard plucks and occasional razor-sharp sawing advance or color the tracks without upfront capers. Even though he has partnered some of the most extravagant sound makers elsewhere, Corsano is similarly restrained. Bass drum smacks, cymbal coloration and cadenced clips are emphasized. When he moves away from that it’s on a track such as “Property”. A stop-time Bluesy piece with thematic cornet variations, at the same time timbral shading suggest a second melody abated by cymbal swerves and string plucks.

Overall though the narrative duality is like the classic comedy and tragedy masks, reflecting jolly projection at points and somber reflection in other places. Instances of the latter include “Scale” and “Style”. The second is based on strained and growling brass tones, string slaps and cymbal claps where muted flutters slowly reveal a lyrical underpinning. “Scale” is sharper and more pointed as double-tongued plunger notes strain as if the cornet bell is pressed against a metal sheet while strangled string stops and press rolls advance the theme.

In contrast “Anthology” and “Last Line” project brassy jollity with the former colored by rhythm section cohesion as Berman excavates valve-less tones from his horn’s body tube. The other maintains its mood with triplet elevations an cornet extensions which add traffic cop-like whistles to the exposition as it lurches from a bass and drum ostinato to repeated thematic sound variations.

If whistle shrill are heard on one track of Everybody Else’s Life, Too, then “Penumbra” Come Down Here’s climatic track is literally rife with bells and whistles that have been alluded to with bouncy vibrations on pervious tracks. Throughout “Penumbra” the bell tree whacks and thunder sheet vibrations predominate along with stentorian string pumps, mbira plucks and continuous squeezed triplets. Starting with echo-chamber-like vibrations and trumpet bites the rebounding timbes are eventually reordered into lip burbling, string bowing near-lyricism.

This theme of barely contained playfulness permeates the disc with swivels towards mariachi brass suggestions, finessed guitar-like strums from the bassist and clangs, ruffs and rolls from the drummer. Even expositions like “Hope II” which is originally horizontal and moderato, boil up into sharped brassy shakes, pinched arco rejoinders and rugged percussion slides.

Growls, yelps and bugling high pitches are more frequently heard from Vicente than muted echoes, while moving beyond modulated pulses, Almeida is capable of constructing a swift-fingered introduction or resonating interlude, while Melo Alves also builds up rhythmic excitement with triple timed pops, extended press rolls and full kit resonations. Variations may follow variations but each theme is properly showcased and defined.

Rather than reductive music Berman and Vicente have created scaled down elaborations. While the Chicago crew could have enlivened and extended some of the themes and the Portuguese trio added some seriousness and reflection to their program, both discs refine and define contemporary improvisation.

–Ken Waxman

Track listing: Everybody: 1. Observers  2. Cities  3. Anthology 4. Hold Out 5. Last Line 6. Property 7. Associating 8. Scale 9. Three Letters 10. Style 11. Second Look

Personnel: Everybody: Josh Berman (cornet); Jason Roebke (bass) and Chris Corsano (drums)

Track Listing: Come: 1. Come Down Here 2. Hope II 3. Mandei Caiar o Meu Sobrado 4. Why No Is No 5. Nascente 6. Penumbra

Personnel: Come: Luís Vicente (trumpet, bells, whistle, mbira); Gonçalo Almeida (bass) and Pedro Melo Alves (drums, percussion, object)