Lemadi Trio

Terrence McManus
Music for Chamber Trio
Rowhouse Music ROW 04

Stripped down instrumentally, but with pumped-up expression, two trios delve into the intricacies of creative expression with antithetical interpretations but suitably impressive results. Featuring a giveaway title Brooklyn guitarist Terrence McManus has created seven tracks which are framed like so-called classical chamber music, but are anything but, considering his associates, tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin and drummer Gerry Hemingway, are firmly situated in improvised music. The guitarist too has played with creative musicians like Mark Helias and Tim Berne.

Boasting a slightly sharper edge are the Lemadi Trio’s four instances of canonical discourse. Firmly embedded in the European improvisational scene, Belgians guitarist Dirk Serries and pianist Martina Verhoeven have worked with numerous players on the continental and UK creative music scene, while Portuguese alto saxophonist José Lencastre has recorded with numerous players like Rodrigo Pinheiro and Onno Govaert. A comparable saxophone-guitar line up is part of both trios, but while the third member is either a drummer or a pianist, comparable sonority is expressed, since Hemingway’s drum subtlety is comparable to Verhoeven sometime keyboard aggression.

Throughout Music for Chamber Trio McManus’ playing ranges from restrained finger-tip picking to slurred fingering and clean resonating string pops. Often tune evolution depends on tandem responses between the guitarist and saxophonist, whose output correspondently encompasses toneless breaths, sighs and sputters, emphasized split tones or descending flutters. These unison extensions continues despite guitar twangs becoming tougher and/or Eskelin’s snarls deepening. Appropriate second for both of the others, Hemingway’s balanced pace usually encompasses cymbal shakes, drum top slaps and woody clunks. It preserves linear advancement those times staccato reed whines and/or churning string pressure threatens to upset the suite’s measured development.

Although the disc ends on a more combative note with the almost solid group output on the penultimate “Part 6” and the surprising sudden organ-like electronic vibrations and drones on the final “Part 7”, the true definition of the trio’s intertwining is on “Part 5”. Eskelin’s barely there shudders turn to spetrofluctuation as McManus’ repeated frails and Hemingway’s paradiddles get the saxophonist to alter his exposition to slide into a confirmed intersection with the others, completing the narrative with single notes from guitar and sax.

As intense in parts as the other disc is often laid back, Canonial Discourse starts off with jagged snorts and peeps from Lencastre, irregular strums from Serries and slashes across the piano’s internal string set by Verhoeven and goes on from there. Very quickly it escalates to whiny reed multiphonics as crackles and cascades from both piano and guitar undulate in unison and set up a contrapuntal challenge to the saxophone. While there are quieter moments in the final “Little Emphasis”, overall the restrained interludes here and elsewhere which favor key plinks, disassociated string strums and horizontal reed lines are surpassed by tougher sequences. Reed screeches, thin guitar jabs and piano soundboard rattles predominate. This interaction reaches a climax on “Disjuncture”. Clashes among reed stops and doits plus keyboard and metallic frails continuously accelerate until ending with note-bending affiliations.

The likelihood is that both trios won’t be playing in the same spaces or chambers. But both provide a telling definition of small group improvisation.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Chamber: 1. Part 1 2. Part 2 3. Part 3 4.  Part 4 5. Part 5 6. Part 6 7. Part 7

Personnel: Chamber: Ellery Eskelin, (tenor saxophone); Terrence McManus, guitar) and Gerry Hemingway (drums)

Track Listing: Canonial: 1. Detached Mode 2. Tenets Of System 3. Disjuncture 4. Little Emphasis

Personnel: Canonial: José Lencastre (alto saxophone); Martina Verhoeven (piano) and Dirk Serries (archtop guitar)