http://sunnysidezone.com/album/the-unknownThe idea of jumping into a completely improvised musical situation can be daunting, especially a live performance. To muster the energy and the ideas to fill a concert is extremely taxing and takes some preparation and motivation. To carry out a performance of this sort, especially one that is communicative and entertaining, requires skill and a bit of serendipity.
Pianist John Escreet left New York for a four-date tour in Europe in February of 2016 with a bit of trepidation. It was with this sense of nervousness that Escreet arrived and met up with his long standing trio of bassist John Hébert and drummer Tyshawn Sorey along with their illustrious guest, saxophone and improvisational music legend Evan Parker.
It wasn’t until he hit his first note on the piano at Brussel’s Bozar that Escreet’s worries disappeared and this extraordinary ensemble began to coalesce. Escreet had recorded with this ensemble before for their Sound, Space and Structures release in 2014 and, though Escreet had managed to perform with the group in a couple of single performances, this was the first time they had been on the road as a unit. The natural advantage to this is the camaraderie that builds when the group spends time together off the bandstand.
The six years that Escreet has spent playing with Hébert and Sorey have made their unit a highly functioning organism, their musical and individual personalities intertwined in close friendship. The addition of the amiable and jocular Parker did not add any strain. The time spent with this progenitor of free music added to the collective’s drive and creativity.
The ensemble’s rapport can be heard on The Unknown, Escreet’s new live album (his first) that compiles two recordings made on the last two nights of the tour at the Bimhuis in Amsterdam and Lantaren Venster in Rotterdam. These two professionally recorded sets showcase the ensemble in a natural performing environment without a script, or any intention of being released, producing music that is honest and deep.
Unlike the ensemble’s first recording, which presented a collection of shorter group improvisations split between duos, trios and quartet done in a studio, The Unknown’s two tracks are long group improvisations that evolved naturally throughout the set, the shapes and structures coming on their own accord. There was no discussion about the concept or direction the ensemble would take, the music developed on the spur of the moment creating a revelatory album of breathtaking music.
From the piano’s quietly ominous opening to the unabashed blowouts in its heart, “The Unknown (Part One)” is a forty-five minute improvised suite recorded on February 12th at the Bimhuis that presents all the textural diversity that this ensemble can provide. Recorded the next evening in Rotterdam, “The Unknown (Part Two)” is shorter but no less varied and may provide the best examples of the dynamic balance between softly introspective and loudly unabashed.
John Escreet’s The Unknown is an incredible document highlighting some fascinating interdynamics of a regularly working ensemble and an icon of free music. The music is certainly an investment for listeners but one that is highly worth the effort.
https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/john-escreet-unknown/By Matt R. Lohr
In February of 2016, pianist John Escreet, along with regular triomates John Hébert, on bass, and Tyshawn Sorey, drums and vibraphone, embarked on a brief four-date European tour. Escreet’s trio joined avant-garde saxophone stalwart Evan Parker to treat their audiences to a series of extended collective improvisations. The Unknown, Escreet’s first live recording as leader, captures two of these long-form explorations.
Recorded at Amsterdam’s Bimhuis on Feb. 12, “The Unknown (Part One)” commences its 45 minutes with dense chords from Escreet that build to a squall under the thunder of Sorey’s cresting cymbals. A Parker-led cacophony descends into eerie arco exclamations from Hébert, backed by chiming Sorey cymbals that evoke a Zen meditation mood. The bassist locks into a keening unison exchange with Parker, Sorey amplifying the mystery with echoing single-note vibe hits. Escreet’s icy solo lines give way to brawny Parker phrases, and the pianist urges him on with antic backing harmonies before cascading over Sorey’s resonating vibes into the outro. Throughout the piece, the band locks into a feverishly communicative mindset, anticipating each shift in tempo and intensity and riding the inventions they inspire for all they’re worth.
The nearly 30-minute-long “The Unknown (Part Two),” from the following night at Lantaren Venster in Rotterdam, is somewhat more structured, two cluster-bomb free-jazz flights bracketing a contemplative central interlude. Parker screams and bleats over roiling, no-room-to-breathe Sorey fills, and Escreet hammers out sharp-tongued repeated phrases before a fire-tinged solo statement from the saxophonist. An oasis of serenity follows soon, with Escreet and Hébert weaving a breathlessly fragile rhythmic spell. The last 10 minutes dive back down the rabbit hole: Escreet viciously rakes his piano strings and Sorey attacks his kit with fierce, focused drive. The classical set calls this “absolute music.” And to the right kind of ears, it’s absolutely compelling.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-unknown-john-escreet-sunnyside-records-review-by-dan-bilawsky.phpStepping into the void without a map, compass, or guide can be an incredibly scary experience. But the very same scenario can also be liberating. Musicians freed of the shackles of preconceived ideas are the ones, after all, who speak the lingua franca of jazz—improvisation, that is—in its purest dialect. And improvisation doesn't get any truer than when there's a blank canvas to work with. That's all there is to know about The Unknown. Or is it?
Early in 2016, pianist John Escreet traveled to Europe for a mini-tour that brought his longstanding trio—with bassist John Hébert and drummer Tyshawn Sorey—into contact with British saxophonist Evan Parker, an icon and maverick in the world(s) of free jazz and improvised music. The band operated without blueprints or borders, and the evidence exists in the two lengthy tracks that make up The Unknown.
"The Unknown (Part One)" was captured at a concert at The Bimhuis on February 12, 2016. It's a sprawling, forty-five minute performance filled with chill-inducing and spine-tingling sounds and suggestions. But it all grows from baleful beginnings that thicken over the course of its opening. After several minutes, a din of cymbal crashes and other potent intoxicants drive away the demons. Pure zen juxtaposed against low-weight zaniness follows, as Sorey's clanging cymbal bells play against squeaking sonics. Parker's searching sax and Hébert's bass meet up, Escreet joins the party and takes center stage, band-made cacophony carries the music onward, and Sorey gets the spotlight for some rim-centric painting. It's a lot to digest, and that only covers about two-thirds of the performance. The final act of this creation places Hébert's springy bass against Parker's popping saxophone, gives the bassist his due, pairs Sorey's vibraphone with Parker's tenor, and finally departs on a hypnotic wave. It's heady stuff to hear on record, clearly not made for the meek.
The second and final track on the album—"The Unknown (Part Two)," recorded one day later at Lantaren Venster in Rotterdam—opens in cagey fashion with short, darting phrases. But madness sits just on the horizon. In no short time, the quartet is running wild. The group tramples everything in its path before the dust settles. Once things calm down, Escreet takes control and a hip groove forms behind him. The core trio then ratchets up the intensity, and just when it seems like things have run there course, Parker swoops in, a deus ex machina with horn in hand. He set the stage on fire before Hébert enters the picture with his calming ostinato and Escreet adds his gentle filigree. Peace ensues, with glistening piano and vibraphone centering and soothing the soul, but war remains in the wind. Parker returns and starts a skirmish with Escreet that throws the whole band into action mode. The toys eventually go winding down, leaving space for Sorey to get wound up for a brief spell before a fingernails-on-chalkboard episode takes the band on a journey to the outer limits. At nearly thirty minutes in length, the track seems compact compared to its predecessor but complete in its own fleshing out of an on-the-spot narrative. Getting to know The Unknown is no easy matter, but it's a rewarding experience for those willing to take the plunge.
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-unknown-john-escreet-sunnyside-records-review-by-budd-kopman.phpImprovisation is the core of jazz, and hearing it live is the best possible experience. However, there are different levels of improvisation, ranging from stretching the melody, to playing over a tune's changes, or taking off during a particular composition. The presence of melody, harmony and rhythm as well as structure can vary to a wide degree. Arguably, the highest form of "creative improvised music" is that which just happens without any planning and where the players have widest ears and sharpest reflexes so that the music's development and fluid structure can be heard and followed by the attentive listener.
Pianist John Escreet's latest release The Unknown is a magnificent live document of his working trio, bassist John Hébert and percussionist Tyshawn Sorey, joined by free jazz legend (cliché of clichés) Evan Parker on two nights (at Bimhuis in Amsterdam and Lantaren Venster in Rotterdam) at the end of a four-date tour in February of 2016.
The quartet had recorded in the studio in 2014 (see Sound, Space and Structures and also here:
https://youtu.be/Z8Ae7nrTX74) and played together before for an isolated performance (see below), but never for an extended time like this tour.
There are but two tracks, "Part One" which is just over forty-five minutes and "Part Two" which is just under thirty minutes and which has audience reaction after it finishes. Each is a virtual journey via sound through space and time, creating living and breathing structures which are born, evolve, mutate and move on. The music is completely abstract and yet it feels extremely concrete and logical, theatrical and highly emotional.
This feeling is a direct result of the high level at which Escreet, Parker, Hébert and Sorey operate. While each player comes to the fore (or drops out) at different times, this is a group effort. To say they are listening intently to each other is an obvious understatement as they can be heard picking up each other's figures or fragments for comment or extension.
Suffice it to say that listeners accustomed to such "free" jazz will revel in this disc. Those who might normally shy away from this kind of music should note that it is not particularly aggressive, and is actually inviting. Put it on, turn down the lights and get swept away like the original audience.
The Unknown is superb music making of the highest order.
