José Lencastre / Jorge Nuno / Felipe Zenícola / João Valinho: Anthropic Neglect

Shall we choose a name for the quartet behind the release Anthropic Neglect? The four Portuguese musicians—saxophonist Jose Lencastre, guitarist Jorge Nuno, bassist Felipe Zenícola, and drummer João Valinho— might best operate under the moniker Lava Dome. The sounds created here are not unlike the molten and semifluid volcanic rock that simmers and seethes, constantly threatening to erupt. But will it it erupt?

Stay tuned, as they say, because anticipation is the impulse behind the three improvisations heard here. And it is not like the eruption could have been predicted from Nuno's No Nation Trio recording Habitation (Phonogram Unit, 2020) with Hernani Faustino, and Valinho or Lencastre's Nau Quartet release Live In Moscow (Clean Feed, 2019). Those acoustic outings are switched up here with Nuno and Zenícola going electric. That charge informs the entirety. Zenícola's bass proved a drone-like murmur under "Concept 1" which enables Nuno and Lencastre to discharge flames while Valinho's drumming accents rather than keeps time. The music is coming more from the bands Sunn 0))), Mono, and Explosions In The Sky than electric Miles Davis, because it is more patient. The pulse of "Concept 2" quickens, yet the simmer never boils over with both Lencastre and Nuno working the very extreme edges of their respective instruments. "Concept 3" begins with an innocent saxophone solo over simple guitar notes only to build once again into a caldera of molten energy. The quartet's strength is contained within their strain, pyroclastic flow needs no explosions.