Impro vocalist and free jazz connaisseur JEAN-MICHEL VAN SCHOUWBURG invited DIRK SERRIES for his 2-day alternative guitar festival at Haekem Theatre in Brussels. Tonight and tomorrow Dirk will perform solo as well in some ad-hoc configurations, among the likes of Pascal Marzan, Christian Vasseur, Steve Gibbs and Magali Rischette.

Label curator and guitarist DIRK SERRIES heads out to LONDON for two live events. On Saturday he teams up with BENEDICT TAYLOR (viola) and ALAN WILKINSON (bass clarinet, sax). As a trio, they will bring you, in the wonderful space of the Hundred Years Gallery, many variations on fiddle string twists, slurred guitar fingering, and mammoth-like blows and wind washes to produce tunes that are manually constructed, deconstructed, and put back together again Expect a wonderful evening of pure free improvisation from three kindred spirits.

On Sunday afternoon Dirk joins once again COLIN WEBSTER LARGE ENSEMBLE for its second outing at Cafe Oto, which comprises many of the leading players in the current generation of improvising musicians. This is a matinee show. The line-up is :

Colin Webster / alto sax
Rachel Musson / tenor sax
Cath Roberts / baritone sax
Charlotte Keeffe / trumpet / flugelhorn
Sarah Gail Brand / trombone
Graham Dunning / electronics
Dirk Serries / guitar
Caius Williams / bass
Andrew Lisle / drums

This brilliant new album of CARLOS “ZINGARO”, GUILHERME RODRIGUES and JOSE OLIVEIRA just got a fine review, written by the great Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg on his Orynx-Improv’andsounds website. Order the album here.

“Rencontre au sommet du voloniste portugais Carlos Zingaro, une légende de la free-music, du violoncelliste « encore jeune » Guilherme Rodrigues, lui-même fils de l’altiste vétéran Ernesto Rodrigues, et du percussionniste José Oliveira, un des premiers collaborateurs des Rodrigues père et fils dans « Multiples », le premier album du catalogue Creative Sources cscd 001 – 2001. Ayant reçu ce CD “Zwosch, Zwosch & Zwosch” de son producteur, le très actif guitariste belge Dirk Serries, j’avais cru lire en vitesse qu’Ernesto en faisait partie. Mais surprise ! C’est José Oliveira, un bien intéressant percussionniste, parfait pour ce genre de trio dont les échanges incarnent toutes les mutations et phases de jeu possibles en manipulant les trois instruments : violon, violoncelle et percussions, sous tous les angles. C’est avec un malin plaisir que les deux cordistes évoquent précisément les frappes caractéristiques de rebond sur les peaux et ustensiles et savent s’en détacher avec élégance. Lorsqu’un drone en suspens est joué par le violoncelliste à l’archet, on entend poindre le sifflement du bord de la cymbale (archet, corde frottée ?). L’art de passer d’une séquence sonore à l’autre spontanément, subrepticement ou par contraste subit. Ce concert live at Festival DME @ Lisboa Inconum est joué d’une traite incluant les silences intermédiaires qui relance l’action collective. Dans ce deuxième mouvement, chacun joue son idée et tente le tout pour s’insérer dans celle de l’autre ou suggérer des nuances et une intention : un magnifique duo entre Guilherme R et José O à la fois rythmique libre et ostinati brisés duquel le violoncelliste semble s’évader, puis revient soutenir le percussionniste pour s’effacer discrètement alors que tinte une cloche. Troisième mouvement des pizzicati graves genre contrebasse ouvre l’espace pour la sonorité suave et les arabesques délicieuses de Carlos Zingaro. Les deux cordistes se jouent un contrepoint mutuel par-dessus les sourds et discrets martèlements bancals d’Oliveira sur un tambour assourdi. Effets de cavalcades et coups d ‘archets intenses du violoniste accroché aux trois ou quatre mêmes notes d’une gamme désespérée dont il presse la vibration avec force sur la touche saturant le son alors que le batteur décale les pulsations en frappant hors-temps et désorganisant la cadence vers l’anarchie. Et ensuite … tout se conclut par surprise comme si tout cela n’avait pas existé. Trente-deux minutes évasives d’improvisation ludique véritable qui comprime le temps , la durée autant qu’ils en étendent sa perception et son ressenti. La virtuosité est sollicitée à quelques moments précis et justifiés par la dramaturgie implicite de l’événement musical et s’évanouit face aux émotions, aux qualités de timbre, au plaisir de jouer à l’inspiration du moment immédiat. J’ajouterai que la démarche pointilliste à la fois discrète et joviale de José Oliveira est en phase avec ces deux spécialistes éprouvés du violon qu’il soit « dessus » ou « basse » qui ont tant de choses à se dire et auxquels J.O. a tant à partager, donner et recevoir. Mirifique !”

Dutch webzine VITAL WEEKLY just published a combo review of our two releases. Both are of course available through our bandcamp store.

“CARLOS “ZINGARO” & GUILHERME RODRIGUES & JOSE OLIVEIRA – ZWOSCH, ZWOSCH & ZWOSCH (CD by New Wave Of Jazz)
TOM JACKSON & NEIL METCALFE &
BENEDICT TAYLOR & DANIEL THOMPSON – HUNT AT THE BROOK AGAIN/HUNT AT THE BROOK WITH NEIL METCALFE (2CD by New Wave Of Jazz)

In Vital Weekly 1397, I reviewed a CD by Dirk Serries, Benedict Taylor and Friso van Wijck they released on the Portuguese label Creative Sources Recordings. Now, the Portuguese entered Serries’ label New Wave Of Jazz. The improvised music scene is small but very busy. A trio consisting of Carlos “Zingaro” on violin, Guilherme Rodrigues on cello, and José Oliveira on percussion. They played on July 30, 2021, in Lisbon, and for the title, they took inspiration from Kurt Schwitters. I think there isn’t a data element in the music. The piece on this CD spans thirty-two minutes, and I don’t know if this recording covers all that was played that night or if there was some editing. I can’t tell from hearing the music. Their approach is pretty traditional in that the three instruments are instantly recognizable as such. They reach for the small sounds, but the louder
ones are more in favor. The recording is a direct one, without any coloring, a straightforward one, as if we are very close to the players and hear every detail; almost every detail is perhaps better said. There is fresh chaos, but that’s not the goal of the music. I believe it is all about the interaction between the players, and there is a lot of that. There is a short break in the middle, and after that, the music seems a bit more organized and orchestral—quite a blast.
The other is a two-night registration at Stamford Brook in London in April and May 2019. The first night had Tom Jackson (clarinet), Benedict Taylor (viola), and Daniel Thompson (acoustic guitar), and a month later, the same three welcomed Neil Metcalfe, who plays the flute. This, too, is from the world of hardcore improvising and certainly doesn’t qualify as easy-listening music. Nervous most of the time and chaotic, but there is also something intimate about this music, perhaps more on the quartet disc than the trio one, and I realize that may sound odd. You could assume more people equals more sound, but not on this one. While the instruments are easily recognized, and no other techniques are used (it seems), there is, at the same time, some very free playing going on. Superficially of the kind in such a way that people approach modern painting, ‘my kid can do this too’, and, usually, they are wrong. Here, too, I think there is some pretty intense interaction going on between the three/four. Much like the DDK release, reviewed elsewhere, this music requires a lot of attention and concentration, and that, too, means playing both discs in a row is quite a stretch. For the more limited interest in improvised music, and I regard myself as such, this is beautiful stuff, but at the same, I admit that these two and the DDK one are enough for me from the musical area for this week.”

KODIAN TRIO (Colin Webster, Dirk Serries, Andrew Lisle) tours Belgium and The Netherlands for the next 5 days. For devotees of the full-on free impro. Don’t miss this chance to see them live in action.