Die Enttuschung

Vier Halbe
Intakt 211

Roscoe Mitchell

Roscoe Mitchell
HHHH

Wide Hive Records 0311

HHHH
The collage art that graces each of Die Enttuschungs albums is an apt illustration of the music contained within. The German quartet delights in witty, startling juxtapositions, creating a vivid modern sound out of fragments from various eras of jazz history pasted together without much concern for letting the seams show. Vier Halbe, consists of 21 short, sharp excursions (only one exceeds five minutes). At 70 minutes, the disc threatens to become too much of a good thing, but that terseness is essential given the tension between freedom and synchronicity that characterizes the groups sound. Trumpeter Axel Drner and bass clarinetist/baritone saxophonist Rudi Mahall work together like two satellites locked into an erratic orbit; they sustain an elegant waltz together while engaged in a constant push-and-pull. Bassist Jan Roder and drummer Uli Jennessen drive the proceedings with an off-road swing, a constant momentum undeterred by the jolts and bounces of rough terrain. Drners Verzhlt is a round-robin of minute bursts; Roders Das Jan Vom Stck contrasts a meaty rhythm with Drner and Mahalls squirreling, darting sonic doodles. Mahalls opener Die bergebundenen cubes the jaggedness of Thelonious Monks Evidence.  Shaun Brady
Vier Halbe: Die bergebundenen; Verzhlt; Aqua Satin Flame; Das Jan vom Stck; Falsches Publikum; Vermbelt; Jitterbig Five; Gekannt; Trompete fr Fortgeschrittene; Wie Axel; Eine Halbe; Hereich; Hello My Loneliness; Vier Halbe; Childrens Blues; Mbelrcken; The Easy Going; Verkannt; Trompete fr Anfnger; Trompete fr Profis; Schlagzeug fr Anfnger. (71:31) Personnel: Rudi Mahall, bass clarinet, baritone sax; Axel Drner, trumpet; Jan Roder, bass; Uli Jennessen, drums. Ordering info: intaktrec.ch

The latest from Roscoe Mitchell opens with The Horn, two minutes of textural washes featuring chimes, bells and gongs, drums and various other little instruments that the avant polymath helped introduce to jazz and contemporary music nearly a half century ago. At around the 90 second mark, the titular instrument appearsin the form of one honk of a bicycle horn. It is a fitting beginning. Joined by trumpeter Hugh Ragin and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey, these 11 tracks run the gamut from Mitchells aforementioned spatial solo excursions to rollicking ensemble playing. Mitchells latest puts him in the position of performing with two succeeding generations who have followed his lead. Notable cuts include the trios fierce, cat-and-mouse chase of split-tones and drums on Scrunch and the glacial tone shifts of Waves, which soon develop into a rolling tumble of group improv. The trios contemplation of the three-note motif of Chant seems to split the difference between two disparate worlds, conjuring both the spirit of Albert Ayler and the digital soundtrack of smart phones and alarms that surrounds us in the 21st century. It also appears that Mitchell never really left the universal foundations of blues and jazz. More remarkable still upon hearing this latest is the realization that Mitchell continues to find new approaches of playing experimental and truly free music.  Daniel A. Brown
Roscoe Mitchell: The Horn; The Way Home; Bells In The Air; Out There; Scrunch; A Cactus And A Rose; Chant; Meadows; A Game Of Catch; Waves; Windows With A View. (66:41) Personnel: Roscoe Mitchell, saxophones, flute (3), percussion; Tyshawn Sorey, percussion and piano (2, 9); Hugh Ragin, trumpet. Ordering info: widehiverecords.com

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DOWNBEAT JUNE 2013