VITAL WEEKLY just reviewed our 3 newest releases. The albums are available through bandcamp, click here.

“From the next release, with four players, I only heard of Goncalo Almeida (double bass) before. The other players are Carla Santana (electronics), Josè Lencastre (alto and tenor sax), and Maria do Mar (violin). They recorded eight pieces in a studio in Abóboda in October 2022. Spoiler alert: the Portuguese connection continues. This is more what I expect from A New Wave Of Jazz; it’s improvised music, which goes without saying, but by adding, for instance, electronics as an oddball, Here too, the saxophone plays a reasonably traditional role, just as the other instruments; again, there is nothing of that ‘my instrument is an object’ approach with these musicians. The contrast between the electronic side and the acoustic works quite well; the latter platy, at times, small melodic phrases, maybe as to mark a difference between the more abstract electronic side. I don’t know what these electronics are, but my best guess would be modular electronics. Sometimes, everybody leans towards a more abstract side, with carefully bending strings, small notes, and sparsely scattered silence. Throughout, the music sounds very controlled and quiet. It’s not easy to say this is because everyone is looking at each other, afraid to disturb the controlled music, maybe too restricted, but it can also be their intention to play the music in this controlled manner. This works quite well in a piece called ‘The Way Of Zen’ (perhaps an easy title). The hectic and chaos that sometimes comes with improvised music is also part of this, but it somehow works well.” Vital Weekly – The Netherlands

“While playing the CD by the Garuda Trio and Rodrigo Pinheiro, few can be classified as ‘jazz’ releases despite the label bearing the name jazz. The big disclaimer is, of course, that I am not an expert by any standard. I have to take such matters at face value, or as much I believe them to be. The trio’s lineup is Hugo Costa (alto saxophone), Hernani Faustino (double bass) and Joao Valinho (drums), guested by Rodrigo Pinheiro on piano. That already means ‘a jazz line up’, even when the result is more free jazz than trad jazz. However, again, warning: novices are piping an opinion, and their approach is also traditional in the free tradition. Each instrument sounds as expected, and while the 39 minutes are chaotic, playing these instruments is reasonably traditional. The three pieces were recorded in a studio in Lisbon in July 2022, and I am still determining how much of this is ‘live’ and how much is ‘edited’. What I found particularly noteworthy is that the saxophone is the instrument that is most up front, and the drums are relatively low in the mix. I wish that would have been different. Stylistically, this is the kind of music I have the most difficulty with; as a reviewer, it is complicated to review (see above), and as a listener, I can appreciate and enjoy the music’s raw energy.” Vital Weekly – The Netherlands

“Labelboss Dirk Serries plays (electric) guitar with the Lemadi trio. Le as in Jose Lencastre (alto sax), Ma as Martine Verhoeven (crumar piano) and Di for Dirk. They performed together for the first time on May 1st, 2023, at Jazzblazzt in Neeritter, The Netherlands, and the results were of such a kind that a release was needed. There are two pieces on this CD, spanning 51 minutes of music, so, the entire recording of that day. They lean towards the first CD I reviewed here by Serries’ label, with a dominant role for the saxophone, although it isn’t among the wind instruments I love most. That’s a pity, as I especially like what Verhoeven is doing here on the electric Crumar piano. Her tones are light, like snowflakes, with the possibility to change the tone. Serries knows how to isolate guitar tones, unlike snowflakes, but unspecified events and short attacks on isolated strings. This makes for a significant interaction, which I enjoyed very much, even in their most free jazz moments. But the omnipresence of the wailing saxophone is too much at times. When all three decide to go for an all-chaotic blast, it works fine; that’s where I enjoy saxophones best, which is the same in this case. It’s not babad, but it’s too much for me at times.” Vital Weekly – The Netherlands