Here we have the third album from Treppenwitz, recorded in a living room with no separation for the instruments, and there has been little undertaken in the way of post-production, so what you hear is what the musicians would have heard as they improvised together. The trio of Matthew Aplin (piano), Tom Riviere (double bass) and Steve Hanley (drums) are joined on the final track by guest singer Nel Begley. Although they say their music is improvised, there is the feeling that much work has been undertaken by Aplin outside of the trio if that is the case, as while his playing does stretch the forms of free jazz there is a fluidity behind it which speaks of song forms having been developed beforehand which the trio then bring to life in an improvised setting.

As one would expect from any group following this form of music, all those involved are master musicians, with Aplin always being the melodic lead and the others providing the support and filling out the sound. “Brimful” is a wonderful high tempo swing with some incredible running bass, and in many ways is the closest to true jazz while the rest of the album is very much in the avant-garde, with Anthony Braxton being an obvious reference point. The one song with vocals, “A Mackerel’s Tale”, is a spoken word track with some repeated piano motifs, delicate piano, and cymbals, all providing towards a wonderfully atmospheric piece with long instrumental sections. It is a fitting end to an album which is incredibly evocative, dynamic and thoughtful. There are times when this looks back to the Sixties, and others where it is looking into the future, and the result is something which fans of the avant-garde and free jazz will do well to discover.

Rating: 8/10

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