Lazro/Honsinger/Avenel

What is real creative music but sounds that if necessary go against the flow of fads and fashions. Recorded when Fusion, Smooth Jazz and Neo-Con throwbacks were reaching the high-water mark of popular Jazz acceptance, True & Whole Rhythms is a no-frills instance of uncompromised free playing. Organized by alto saxophonist Daunik Lazro (now 79) and bassist Jean-Jacques Avenel (1948-2014) both French, plus American cellist Tristan Honsinger (1949-2023), in a out of  the way Paris club, the trial and triumph of the disc is how the three interact during two free-form improvised variations.

Lazro, who has recoded with everyone from Michel Doneda to Sophie Agnel; Honsinger, known for his tenure in the ICP Orchestra; and Avenel who was a major partner in Steve Lacy’s bands; were very familiar with the creative concept. They invest the 14 minutes plus and 30½ minute tracks with charged, comfortable and ultimately convincing textural variations.

Mostly confined to power pumps, steadying string slaps and the odd arco slides, usually in tandem with the cellist, Avenel is a solid, anchoring presence throughout. Lazro works out every angle of the exposition. Sometime his playing is all snores, split tones and squeezes; other times he quickly and logically ascends and descends the scale from scoops and tongue slaps to dog-whistle altissimo tones and rugged bites. Picking up the sometime anarchistic elaborations from Honsinger, on the first tune he creates his own pseudo-hornpipe as the cellist’s plucks and glissandi move from nursery rhyme-like simplicity to staccato variations on reels and hoedowns. Interestingly during an early sequence on “Improv including ‘Cordered’ and ‘Canoë’” both players’ tandem high pitches nearly make it impossible to distinguish one instrument from the other.

Always the wild card, Honsinger not only strokes, stops and shuffles at andante or presto tempos, but constantly vocalizes with mumbles, burps and swallows with nonsense syllables that take equally from Bedlam, bel canto and belligerence. Eventually this combination of sul ponticello string fails are presented as supplely as if produced by a guitar while the saxophonist’s reed complements include note fragmentation, doits and tongue stops. Enfolded by stentorian double bass rumbles, the vocal mumbles, spiccato cello sawing and reed bending extend the narrative to a logical stopping point as the three timbres intersect.

Death and age means that inspired sessions like this can never be repeated. But at least some of the trio’s creativity is preserved on this CD.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1  Improv including “Pat” and “Ever Nev” 2.  Improv including “Cordered” and “Canoë”

Personnel:  Daunik Lazro (alto saxophone); Tristan Honsinger (cello and voice) and Jean-Jacques Avenel (bass)