Ozo: A Kind Of Zo

There's a strand of Portuguese music which oscillates between the points of a triangle formed by improv, ambient and minimalism. Ozo, which comprises erstwhile classical pianist Paulo Mesquita, and rock/pop drummer Pedro Oliveira, sits somewhere in the centre of that triangle. The dominant characteristic of the nine jointly-credited cuts is a pretty melodicism allied to a basic rhythm created using unconventional textures.

Although Oliveira is credited only with prepared drums, at times the result is reminiscent of electronics. He certainly delivers a wide range of suprising tonalities as well as what's anticipated from a more conventional drum kit. Mesquita similarly modifies his piano to make it variously percussive, clanging and koto-like. But through his choice of shimmers, reverberations and dampened keys he remains prone to extemporization, so song-like that one wonders whether some of the motifs might be preconceived.

Things start well with the first two numbers among the most successful as random noise and improv elements add intrigue. On "String Strip" Mesquita pick out a resounding yet simple folkish air amid a dense soundscape of rhythmic piano preparations, scraped cymbals and all sorts of indeterminate sounds. At one point it recalls Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, and that's perhaps not surprising as the main references are not jazz. "Paralell" features an attractive amalgamation of pure melody and altered notes, as if the piano has morphed into a harp partway through.

Thereafter there are more piano vamps and steady beats which go nowhere you don't expect. "Short Story" stands out through its combination of slackly twanging piano strings and martial cadences, while "Wind" pits a rippling piano line against effects which evoke breakers crashing on the ocean shore. An unannounced ninth track begins with five minutes of silence before a series of echoing strikes and gradually more emphatic pulsations. In spite of the frequent tempo there's a static quality to many of the pieces which rely on timbral variation rather than any narrative development to generate interest. But while the set might not sustain repeated listens, it passes by pleasantly enough.