Ziv Taubenfeld/Helena Espvall/João Sousa

Hard and heavy creative music created in top form by three experienced improvisers here is reminiscent of Free Jazz’s initial 1960s development. But You, Full of Sources and Night comes with a 21^st Century fillip of melded internationalism and modern recordings. All now Portugal-based the trio consists of bass clarinetist Ziv Taubenfeld, an Israeli who has recorded with Michael Moore, Hamid Drake and others; Swedish–American cellist Helena Espvall has played with everyone from Bert Jansh to Masaki Batoh and Sei Miguel; while local drummer João Sousa has worked with José Lencastre and Carlos Zíngaro

Staring off with prolific intensity jacked up from one to 10 to 11 on “Oluyemi”, the first of seven instant compositions, clarinet tones progress from clarion cries to wavering scoops, then intersect with pressurized cello swipes and drum splashes for an even more tension-ridden exposition. Torqued strings and splattering reed split tone ascend ever higher until a sudden turn from Taubenfeld plummets the exposition to a still tough but also lyrical sequence.

Although there are further interludes of more straight-ahead elaborations, especially from the woodwind player, these are usually eroded as the cellist counters with sul tasto and spiccato expressions. These contrapuntal projections of reed puffs and string squeaks on a track like “Of the Angel In You, Oh Tigers and Lions” stay within mid-range guided by the drummer’s thick whumps.

Taubenfeld’s near-opaque reed tone also heightens the improvisations at points when he adds thick gong reverberations. While Espvall too has her moments of tonality, more often she adds insurgent elements  including sul ponticello squeaks, multi-string glissandi, spiccato runs and supple guitar-like twangs. Probably the best use of this occurs on “In the Ether, in a Light” as Sousa additionally redoubles his rumbles and ruffs to encompass rim shakes. Meanwhile Taubenfeld  elaborates the theme with chalumeau register snorts that latterly ascend to trills and tongue stops. Adding to the mix are the cellist’s squeaking stops that reveal call and response antiphony with the clarinetist’s basement tone wallows.

A prime reminder that with the right combination of stimulus, smarts and situation, that tough memorable improvised archetypes are still being produced.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1.Oluyemi 2. You, Full of Sources and Night 3. In the Ether, in a Light 4. Come Back Evaporated Chess 5.They Are Fragments of the Sun 6. Nuvem de Superficie Variavel 7. Of the Angel In You, Oh Tigers and Lions 8. Where the River is More Blue?

Personnel:  Ziv Taubenfeld (bass clarinet and gongs); Helena Espvall (cello) and João Sousa (drums)