Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Fail Better!: Zero Sum

16

Fail Better!: Zero Sum

By

Sign in to view read count
Fail Better!: Zero Sum
The name of the Portuguese quintet Fail Better! is inspired by Samuel Beckett who advised: "ever tried, ever failed, no matter, try again, fail again, fail better." This saying, together with the one of Miles Davis who claimed that there are no mistakes in music, capture the very essence of the process of free improvisation. And, obviously its real-time sense of experiment and discovery, a walk on a thin line between magic and the sonic equivalent of psychodrama.

This collaborative quintet was born out of pre-existing projects and bands located in Coimbra, Porto and Lisbon. Its musicians—guitarist Marcelo dos Reis, drummer Joao Pais Filipe, alto saxophonist João Guimarães, double bassist José Miguel Pereira and trumpeter Luís Vicente—were recorded live in the Salão Brazil club in Coimbra, in the third of a five concert tour.

The free improvised music is developed patiently and slowly, stressing deep listening and a highly supportive interplay, rich with imaginative ideas and nuances. On the first piece, "Bright Red," the whispering trumpet of Vicente and alto sax of Guimarães set the contemplative, dark tone, before the guitar of dos Reis introduces a bluesy vein. The three continue to develop through game-like dialogues the introspective, bluesy atmosphere on the following "This Is Our Gun." But now with more power and dramatic sense, enjoying the colors that Filipe and Pereira add to this kind of slow-burning interplay.

The quintet dares more on the open-ended "Fallout Breeders" and "The Growing Border," applying the Beckett advice beautifully. All explore different timbral angles, search for new textures, challenging dynamics, and fractured pulses, but none is attached to any of these but to the flow of the music. The sonic searches on "The Growing Border" accumulate into an intense, powerful attack that reaches its climax with a noisy, distorted solo guitar of dos Reis, referencing Sonic Youth guitarists' Thurston Moore and Jim O'Rourke experimental forays. The last, "Challenge/Challenges" begins as a gentle, ritual dance of Guimarães, Vicente and Filipe, that slowly intensifies when des Reis and Pereira join till it culminates with a powerful, dense wall of sounds.

Fail Better! is an impressive ensemble of resourceful and imaginative improvisers.

Track Listing

Bright Red; This Is Our Gun; Fallout Breeders; Dysfunctional Wire; The Growing Border; Challenge/Challenges.

Personnel

João Pais Filipe: drums; João Guimarães: alto saxophone; Marcelo dos Reis: electric guitar; José Miguel Pereira: double bass; Luís Vicente: trumpet.

Album information

Title: Zero Sum | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: JACC Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.