When Discus Music approached Pat Thomas and asked what he would like to see made available out of his own personal archive, he turned to this set, which was recorded at the festival Konfrontationen Nickelsdorf in 2006. Here Pat (piano melodica) had arranged six early compositions by Anthony Braxton for The Locals, which featured Alex Ward (clarinet), Evan Thomas (electric guitar), Dominic Lash (electric bass) and Darren Hasson-Davis (drums). Braxton is of course a well-known improvisor and composer, who has always felt that it is possible to bring together the two forms, and much has been placed on the shoulders of Alex Ward to bring forth the abandonment and experimental style which Braxton provided with his sax.

What makes this album work so well is that the original pieces are identifiable but are a starting point, often with a funk backbeat, which turns them into something quite different. We can get sweet melodies in the foreground a strong rhythm in the back, while Thomas is almost destroying his piano – sometimes we get incredible melodies, at others he is apparently going off at random, while there are also times when he is just making a general noise. The arrangements behind this are wonderfully complex, and it is the piano which for me really makes this stand out so much, because there is a real vitality within the performance. This is experimental free jazz which most people will run from to be fair, but one can hear from the audience response just how much those who were there were enjoying this. Complex, complicated, anarchic, this really is quite something.

Rating: 8/10

Links:
https://discus-music.co.uk/