Reviews

• Ken Waxman, 17 march 2025, jazzword

  Standard creative music configuration for many years, the reeds, double bass and drums trio lends itself to many interpretations and considerations. In its purest form it showcases the players performing like acrobats without a safety net which in musical terms would be the addition of one or more chordal instruments. Both Van Huffel/Kneer/Dimitriadis (VKD) and the AALY Trio operate this way, with the reedists – Canadian Peter Van Huffel with VKD and Swede Mats Gustafsson with the AALY – adding to their balancing act(s) by switching among various horns while in the equivalent of mid-air.
  AALY, which also includes fellow Swedes bassist Peter Janson and drummer Kjell Nordeson as well as Gustafsson playing tenor and baritone saxophones, flute and harmonica has been around since the 1990s and is named for an Art Ensemble of Chicago’s contrafact of Albert Ayler’s name, consistently shows its allegiance to unbridled Free Jazz. An ad hoc collaboration among three musicians busy in Berlin, VKD consists of German bassist Meinrad Kneer and Greek percussionist Yorgos Dimitriadis with Van Huffel playing alto and baritone saxophones. Still the eight track on Synomilies – the ancient term for salons – are no less ferocious than the 11 on Sustain.
  Working out intersective variations, Van Huffel’s stentorian snorts, strained smears and slapping tongue percussion are precisely balanced by thick, sul ponticello bass string rubs and Dimitriadis’ vigorous drags and ruffs. Different tracks are set up to express the baritone saxophone’s bottom-feeding bites and the alto saxophone’s vibrating altissimo squeals. In most cases the tandem response from Kneer involve strident shudder , while the drummer proffers moderated paradiddles and pitter patter.
  Operating as closely as synchronized swimmers doesn’t means that individual expression is muted though. On “A Tree Has A Thousand Ears” for instance, Dimitriadis’breaks up the time with whirls, ratchets, clatters and clunks from small instruments, cymbal scours and the noise created by lug loosening. The saxophonist’s response includes tongue slaps and reed elaboration but also straight-ahead output that keeps the exposition linear.
  On “Convergence” however it’s Kneer’s slowly stroked string buzzing and sudden twangs which define the piece. Bass drum pumps and reed screeches complete the picture with timbres from opposite pitch elevations. Eventually though it become almost impossible to distinguish reed from string timbres.
  Overall with a combination of ratcheting percussion asides, allied woody string strokes and fragmented reed movement from irregular doits to Aylerian screams, VKD certifies the continued validity of exploratory Free Jazz trio music.
  That approach is expressed twofold by the AALY Trio with Gustafsson’s additional arsenal of horns. He’s no shrinking violet when it comes to screaming flattement and multiphonics from thick saxophones expositions. Just the same he brings the same tongue pressure and transverse splatter from flute note bending on “Your Prayer”, where his crying spills meet double bass thwacks and drum/cymbal rattles; as he does with screechy harmonica wails on “Cover Yourself”, as Janson responsively clicks stings from high up the bass strings near the tuning pegs. Raising the excitement level at points and especially on “Egypt Rock” Gustafsson yelps and whoops – often vocalizing through the saxophones’ body tubes – as Nordeson outputs Caribbean-styled drum resonations in between multiphonic reed scoops and spills.
  As indicated, as with VKD, this is scarcely a one-man show, with the bassist and drummer amplifying the tunes which include subtlety as well as stress. There are instances as Nordeson’s palm slapping introduction to “Rock Out”, as well as march tempo elsewhere. There’s also Janson’s measured walking bass intro to “Why I Don’t Go Back” and his near-flamenco strums on other tracks. All of this is expressed within the raw or reflective outpourings from Gustafsson’s many horns.
  Along with banshee wails and thick vibrations the AALY Trio maintains a horizontal flow in its music. Making it too another exemplar of exploratory Free Jazz trio music at its finest.

  Ken Waxman, 17 march 2025, jazzword

• Herman te Loo, 17 february 2025, jazz flits number 434

  Hoewel saxofonist Peter van Huffel en bassist Meinrad Kneer samen optrekken in het kwintet van de laatste, waar composities het uitgangspunt zijn voor hun im- provisatie, houden ze allebei ook van het vrije werk. Op dit nieuwe album (dat verscheen op Kneers label Evil Rabbit) vinden ze de Griekse slagwerker Yorgos Dimitriadis aan hun zijde, die net als de Canadees en de Duitser een plek heeft gevonden in de vruchtbare improscene van Berlijn. De acht stukken die ze op ‘Synomilies’ brengen, bestrijken een breed scala, van ritme- en melodieloze soundscapes op de randen van de stilte (zoals ‘A Tree has a thousand ears’) tot ou- derwetse, energieke freejazz (‘Beasts and creatures’). Van Huffel kiest vooral voor de baritonsax, en met zijn lange lijnen combineert hij dan perfect met de gestre- ken bas, die in handen van Kneer altijd loepzuiver is. Dimitriadis kleurt en rommelt en laat zijn bekkens zin- gen waar dat kan. Bovenal wordt er met oren op steeltjes geluisterd, zodat het eindresultaat steeds veel meer is dan de afzonderlijke bijdragen.

  Herman te Loo, 17 february 2025, jazz flits number 434

• Andrzej Nowak, 17 january 2025, Trybuna Muzyki Spontanicznej

  Charakterystyczne ciemno-brązowe, kartonowe opakowania, owalny otwór, w którym odczytujemy tytuł wykonawczy i nazwę albumu, na rozkładówce insert z albumowym credits i grafiką (tę upubliczniamy poniżej) oraz krążek CD z numerem katalogowym, wreszcie na back coverze powtórzone nazwiska muzyków i tenże numer z charakterystycznym królikiem, Złym Królikiem.
  Tak, definitywnie kojarzymy albumy holenderskiego labelu Evil Rabbit, prowadzonego przez niemieckiego kontrabasistę Meinrada Kneera! Jak dotąd świat ujrzał 38 woluminów, ostatnio dostarczanych na ogół w cyklu dwa tytuły na rok. Dziś zaglądamy na fonograficzny efekt działań labelu z lat 2023 i 2024, czyli cztery płyty z jak zawsze wyśmienitą muzyką improwizowaną.

  Przed nami trio w podobnym zestawie instrumentalnym, znów spore porcje kameralnych konotacji (za sterami kontrabasu kolejny doskonały muzyk zza naszej zachodniej granicy!), ale też znacząca kontrybucja swobodnego jazzu, który incydentalnie śmiało sięga po atrybuty free. Osiem opowieści trwa tu niewiele ponad trzy kwadranse, zatem domniemanie, iż ta trójka muzyków także świetnie panuje nad formą bliskie jest pewności.
  Początek tej historii jest dalece kameralny – rezonujące talerze, mroczny dron barytonu i post-perkusjonalne akcje smyczka na gryfie kontrabasu. Kolejna ekspozycja stawia na dynamikę, budowaną zarówno soczystymi frazami saksofonu, jak i temperamentnym, rozzuchwalonym smyczkiem i koherentnym, niemasywnym drummingiem. Trzecia odsłona zdaje się być kolejnym krokiem tu estetyce free, a zasadza się na duecie dęciaka i perkusji, który utwór otwiera i kończy, w tak zwanym międzyczasie pozostawiając dużo przestrzeni dla popisów smyczkowych. Czwórka wydaje się tu być repryzą jedynki, z kolei piątka śmiało stawia znak równości pomiędzy tym, co do tej pory, a zapowiadanym, ognistym free jazzem. Świetne chwile odnotowuje tu krwisty baryton. Szósta opowieść, to lekka niczym pawie pióro miniaturka, szyta wysoko, z ujmująco taneczną rytmiką. Ostatnie dwie improwizacje chętniej sięgają po rozwiązania kameralne. Nie brakuje efektownych partii preparowanych, szczególnie perkusisty i kontrabasisty, krótkich wdechów i długich wydechów saksofonisty, ale też bardziej dynamicznych interwałów, stanów emocjonalnego rozdygotania. Końcowa narracja w fazie początkowej zdaje się być pożegnalną meta balladą, nasyconą smutkiem smyczka i trwogą barytonu. Znów wszakże w umysłach artystów kiełkuje rytm, który wpycha puentę albumu w jazzowe rozkołysane, a potem zaprasza na żmudną wspinaczkę na finałowe wzniesienie. Także tu, niemal u kresu podróży, garść akcji kontrabasisty znamionuje prawdziwe mistrzostwo kreacji.

  Andrzej Nowak, 17 january 2025, Trybuna Muzyki Spontanicznej

• Jan Granlie, december 2024, salt-peanuts

  Synomilies er debutalbumet fra en særegen Berlin-basert trio, som samler tre erfarne musikalske samarbeidspartnere: den kanadiske saksofonisten Peter Van Huffel, den tyske bassisten Meinrad Kneer og den greske trommeslageren Yorgos Dimitriadis. På Bandcamp kan man blant annet lese følgende om utgivelsen: «Med inspirasjon fra frijazz-tradisjonen finner musikken sin dybde og styrke i en kollektiv tankegang finpusset gjennom år med kreativ utforskning og delte opplevelser. Som helhet lever Synomilies opp til navnet sitt, og tilbyr en serie dyptgripende musikalske samtaler mellom tre eksepsjonelle musikere og improvisatorer som deler en bemerkelsesverdig evne til å lytte, lede og blande sømløst».
  Innspillingen er gjort den 21. januar 2022, og vi får åtte kollektive komposisjoner som jeg synes skiller seg ut fra den typiske «Berlin-jazzen», men hvor den frie improvisasjonen, hvor musikerne finner sin plass etter hvert, viser seg. Van Huffels barytonsalksofon markerer seg i starten over Kneers fine bass-spill og med et lett og fint trommespill. Den første låten, «e la nave va» er en slags drømmevisjon, hvor det er saksofonen som fører an. Men allerede i andresporet, «umstürzende einbauten» endrer det seg med heftig strykebass og på gående trommer. Og i stedet for en slags drømmesekvens, får vi energisk spill som fascinerer med at musikken er fri, men samtidig virker den relativt åpen.
  Og slik forsetter de gjennom de åtte sporene. Vi får variert og fritt improviserte «strekk» som, selv om vi må høre de i skrivestua og ikke på konsert, virker som de står midt i stua og spiller. For lyden, skapt av Christian Betz i Berlinaudio er så klar og ren at man nesten føler man kan «ta på» lyden.
  Frijazzen på platen er veldig europeisk, og jeg føler salige Peter Brötzmann og kretsen rundt ham, ville ha nikket anerkjennende til det vi får høre. For dette er frijazz i «Brötz» sin ånd. Og de tre musikerne gjør denne msikken me stor overbevisnng, noe jeg mener er nødvendig om denne musikken skal fungere.

  Jan Granlie, december 2024, salt-peanuts

• Victor Aaron, 20 december 2024, something else

  Earlier in 2024, we told you about a daring new electro-acoustic quartet started up saxophonist Peter Van Huffel and their debut album. But the Berlin-based Canadian expatriate’s got more stuff cookin’. Meet his new free jazz trio with double bassist Meinrad Kneer and drummer Yorgos Dimitriades and their debut album Synomilies.
  Returning a strictly acoustic format, Van Huffel has been working with the German Kneer and the Greek Dimitriades in a combo that cuts across different countries, cultures and backgrounds to find a common vision in improvised music.
  The Van Huffel, Kneer & Dimitriades trio is freer, to be sure, but also more contemplative, as the core of this music is the close listening and reacting to each other. The album even opens on hushed note: “E La Nave Va” floats along not beholden to any rhythm but the doleful, instant melody the trio teases out. As Huffel invents a lead line and Kneer comes up with harmonic counterpoints, Dimitriades expertly provides the proper amount of tonal shading to complete the portrait. “Au Comptoir” is pensive at first, but you can sense the three loosening up over the course of the song, which doesn’t mean going off of a cliff, but instead maintaining their composure.
  “Dear Old Werner” has a nervous energy, doubled when Kneer joins in — not to add the low tones — but to saw his strings on high to simulate a second saxophone. Kneer applies that same tactic equally as effectively for the barren soundscape of “A Tree Has A Thousand Ears” and “Convergence.”
  “Umstürzende Einbauten” features Kneer undertaking the lead role with his arco bass while Dimitriades and then Huffel map creative strategies around him. “Beasts And Creatures” is snarled, nasty, guttural and wonderful. With Kneer plucking with force and Van Huffel on baritone sax, the three weave a path from the angular to the outright brutish, yet following down a melodic — if staggered — path.
  The terse “Steel Water” is marked by Dimitriades’ exotic percussion. His use of unorthodox percussion along with the savvy to make the group dynamic more interesting continues into “Convergence”
  Nothing reveals the character and musical personality of musicians playing in an ensemble like the collective improvisation approach. The free jazz unit of Peter Van Huffel, Meinrad Kneer and Yorgos Dimitriades exposes these individuals as those who leverage their aptitude in absorption, interaction and harmonic development to the fullest.

  Victor Aaron, 20 december 2024, something else

• Eric Therer, 12 december 2024, jazzmania.be

  La dernière fois que nous avions évoqué le nom de Peter Van Huffel dans nos pages, c’était en juin dernier à l’occasion de la sortie de « Meandering Demons », un album conçu au sein de son quatuor Callisto. Ce nouveau disque le voit revenir à une formule en trio avec à ses côtés le contrebassiste Meinrad Kneer et le batteur Yorgos Dimitriadis. Van Huffel officie au saxophone, de façon prévisible au baryton, mais aussi à l’alto. Enregistré lui aussi à Berlin, il est le premier opus de ce trio, lequel se revendique ouvertement de l’héritage de la tradition free-jazz. D’entrée de jeu, la première composition « E la nave va », clin d’œil à Fellini, confirme cette inspiration. Juste après, « Umstürzende Einbauten » se veut à la fois un jeu de mots et un clin d’oreille aux frasques déconstruites d’Einstürzende Neubauten. Mais ici, le chaos est maîtrisé et ne profile jamais brutalement. Aux outils et à l’électronique, notre trio préfère la chaleur et la rondeur des instruments acoustiques. Une musique flottante que chaque musicien tente de porter sans jamais submerger les autres. Une musique aérée qui laisse la place à la respiration et aux retraites. Parfois, la cadence s’emballe sans crier gare comme sur « Beasts and Creatures », mais elle finit toujours par revenir à la raison. « Synomilies » est édité par le petit label Evil Rabbit fondé par Meinrad Kneer, une structure qui revendique farouchement son indépendance et qui se bat pour promouvoir le travail de la communauté des improvisateurs. Un label connu également pour son identité visuelle particulière reprenant très souvent une pochette en carton sobre percée d’un rond en son centre.

  Eric Therer, 12 december 2024, jazzmania.be

• Phontas Troussas, 21 november 2024, Diskorycheion

  Κυκλοφορίες της ολλανδικής improv ετικέτας evil rabbit records, που έχει φθάσει αισίως τα 38 νούμερα, έχουμε παρουσιάσει ξανά στο blog. Πιο συγκεκριμένα έχουμε γράψει για τα άλμπουμ των AoaImpro Group “Live at Pariser Platz” (2022) με Έλενα Κακαλιάγκου και Φλώρο Φλωρίδη στο team, για τη συνεργασία Φλώρου Φλωρίδη / Γιώργου Δημητριάδη στο “Tone Sequence Evaluators” (2022), για το CD των Fiorenzo Bodrato / Stefano Battaglia / Andrea Massaria/ Massimiliano Furia “Bartleby the Scrivener” (2013) και τέλος για τη συνύπαρξη Ab Baars / Meinrad Kneer / Bill Elgart στο “Give noQuarter” (2013). Τώρα, αυτή η τετράδα θα επεκταθεί με δύο ακόμη (πρόσφατες) κυκλοφορίες. Να πούμε, επίσης, πως σχεδόν όλα τα covers των κυκλοφοριών της ολλανδικής εταιρείας είναι μαύρα χάρτινα gatefolds, με gimmix κυκλικά κοψίματα, που προσφέρουν στην evil rabbit και μία σχεδιαστική οντότητα.

  Πνευστά, κοντραμπάσο και ντραμς έχουμε και σ’ αυτό το CD, πουαποκαλείται “Synomilies” και το οποίο υπογράφουν οι Peter van Huffel άλτο & βαρύτονο σαξόφωνα, Meinrad Kneer κοντραμπάσοκαι Yorgos Dimitriadis ντραμς, κρουστά. Βασικά, πρόκειται για ένα βερολινέζικο τρίο, αποτελούμενο από έναν Καναδό, έναν Γερμανό κι έναν Έλληνα μουσικό (o Δημητριάδης μάς είναι γνωστός και από «προσωπικούς» δίσκους και από συνεργασίες), που ηχογραφείται στο Berlinaudio (της ίδιας πόλης) τον Ιανουάριο του 2022 και που μας παρουσιάζει οκτώ συνθέσεις του, κινούμενες άπασες σ’ ένα freeπεριβάλλον.
  Κατ’ αρχάς ο ήχος του van Huffel είναι ένα πρώτο στοιχείο, που ξεχωρίζει – υπό την έννοια πως ο όγκος του αποβαίνει καθοριστικός, για την εξέλιξη της ηχογράφησης. Πίσω, λοιπόν, από τα σαξόφωνα του Καναδού άλλοτε γρυλίζουν το μπάσο με τα ντραμς (όπως συμβαίνει στο υπαινικτικότατο “A tree has athousand ears”), δημιουργώντας εντελώς υποβλητικές καταστάσεις, και άλλοτε συνοδεύουν από πιο μπροστινές θέσεις, με εξ ίσου ισχυρά παιξίματα όμως (όπως ακούμε στο βαρύ “Beasts andcreatures”).
  Πάνω σ’ αυτό το μοτίβο, με τα πιο abstract και χαμηλόφωνα κομμάτια να εναλλάσσονται με τα περισσότερο δυναμικά και εξωστρεφή, κινείται ολάκερο το “Synomilies” – ένας δίσκος έντονος, είτε στις κορυφώσεις του είτε στις κοιλάδες του, που σε κρατάει πάντα σε εγρήγορση.

  Phontas Troussas, 21 november 2024, Diskorycheion

• Rigobert Dittman, October 2024, Bad Alchemy 126

  Hier bleckt einmal mehr das Killerkaninchen von Caerbannog seine Zähne. Wobei auf Synomilies (ERR37) noch weitere 'beasts and creatures' drohen, 'steel water' saufende und Einbauten umstürzende. Einer schreit: Es ist bei den Schiffen ('e la nave va'), ein andrer: An der Theke ('au comptoir'). 'A tree has a thousand ears', ich hab nur zwei Schlappohren, um zu hören, was PETER VAN HUFFEL, MEINRAD KNEER und YORGOS DIMITRIADIS da mit Alto- & Baritonsax, Kontrabass und Drums umeinandertönen. Mit dem Kunstsinn von Gorilla Mask und Callisto, von Dalgoo, dem Julie Sassoon Quartet und Meinrad Kneer Quintet, dem Twirls 4tet oder Being Five und in bereits in diversen Begegnungen erprobter Sympathie. Die basiert auf dem geteilten Faible für vertrillertes, bohrendes, bebendes Vibrato, klappernde, kollernde, klickernde Schläge, beim Wetzen flötende und heulende oder sonstwie knurrende, girrende Bogenstriche, bevorzugt entlang der Abbruchkante hin zu Dissonanz und schillernden Tönungen. So fein, dass man Bucheckern rascheln, Metall schimmern, den Kleinspecht klopfen, sogar Pan selbst summen hört, bis die Kronen aufrauschen und wieder einlullen. Das Bariton biestert, brummt und röhrt, der Kontrabass schnarrt und plonkt, das Becken crasht, Schlaghagel poltert in klangberauschter Waldes- und himmelschreiender Lebenslust. Liquide Altotriller klingeln und prickeln, was Knarren und Piepen, Tockeln, Surren und Tuten angeht, herrscht hörbare Übereinstimmung. Und am Comptoir drängeln sich zuletzt kapitale und kleinlaute Schlucker, mit harten Schalen, pelzigen Pfoten, rauen Kehlen, hitzi¬gem Palaver.

  Rigobert Dittman, October 2024, Bad Alchemy 126