Iván González – trumpet, percussion, piano interference
Pol Padrós – trumpet, percussion
Julián Sánchez – trumpet, percussion
Sinestesia, 9th June 2017
It begins with Sánchez, a high-pitched wandering line, a loose thread mapping an invisible maze. González adds a contrasting tonality, a gently entwining filament before Padrós adds a bass-er strand – the whole becoming a coiling skein of sound. Nice start.
A pause, a suspension, a resumption…
Embellished by Tibetan bells, the second piece begins with a breath, the soft texture of air pushed through a trumpet without the need to produce a brass note at all. Sánchez produces low flute-like tones and the resulting combination is a brief abstract pointillism that swiftly broadens into a 3-way of extended breathing techniques – groans, drones and ritualistic ululations winding through space. It’s delicate, very contemporary, and kind of trippy at the same time.
And so it goes. An intuitive and intimate troika.
Over the course of almost an hour, pretty much all the music from the “FAT” disc (Discordian, 2016) gets a literal airing, showcasing an inventively broad variety of trumpet sounds. The aural diversity partakes of a variety of mutes, pure tones, brass flatulence, jagged vibrato stabs, fluid circularity, valve percussion, and so on in a seemingly endless multitude of timbres and distinct characters – though these are mere ingredients, the beauty lies in closing the eyes and hearing the communion.
The lack of traditional rhythm instrumentation in the group leaves a wide open space, a sense of potential dislocation, maybe not so much a maze as a broad landscape with no landmarks and only minimal metallic signposts. It’s sparse music, evocative, creative, open and free.
No single track encompasses the full breadth of the performance but here’s a brief sample:
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A quick note about the venue: Sinestesia is a fairly recent and welcome addition to Barcelona’s small number of jazz and free improvisation venues. The sound is good, the programming combines adventure and accessibility, and the people are welcoming. If you’re in Bcn, get yourself over to the Sants neighbourhood. 😉