Rodrigo Amado The Bridge: Beyond The Margins

The Bridge may be one of the most potent all round units assembled by Portuguese tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado. That is saying something considering his previous alliances with collaborators as varied as multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee, trumpeter Peter Evans, trombonist Jeb Bishop and drummer Chris Corsano. This time out his partners read like an extract from an international free jazz who's who: German pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, American drummer Gerry Hemingway and Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten.

Beyond The Margins, a live recording from Warsaw in Poland in October 2022, finds them firing on all cylinders. All four are accomplished exponents of long-form improvisation as they demonstrate on a 40-minute main course, followed by two seven-minute chasers. They deliver peaks of intensity separated by reflective interludes which nonetheless contain the kernels of the subsequent ascents. Touring has created a battle-hardened outfit, in perfect synch. It results in a staggering depth of interplay in which there is always someone doing something you might not quite expect.

Von Schlippenbach's first recorded encounter with the reedman on The Field (NoBusiness, 2021) established that both share a propensity for repeating motifs. When both lock into a phrase, as they do on several occasions here, the effect is electrifying. Naturally Schlippenbach is no stranger to heavyweight saxophonists given his 50-year association with Evan Parker. His comping alongside the horn is more like a parallel stream constantly feeding counterlines and possible avenues for renewal and exploration. And when he takes center stage he has the lexicon of 20th century music literally at his finger tips, be that Thelonious Monk-ish dissonance, astringent clusters or dancing lyricism.

Another seasoned campaigner, Håker Flaten has a track record with high octane settings, notably his tenure in The Thing with volcanic reed exponent Mats Gustafsson and powerhouse drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. Which means that he ably anchors this quartet when the sparks fly, but also fuels the more adventurous passages with a groaning squeaking arco. Perhaps more unanticipated is the wiry melodicism and swing he brings to the calmer jazzier episodes. Hemingway too is not averse to a propulsive lilt amid the garbage cans (which his erstwhile employer Anthony Braxton famously once demanded) and timbral exchanges.

While the lengthy title cut repeatedly approaches the brink, only to maintain tension by pulling back and regrouping once more, the shorter selections mine more defined territories. Amado's insistent middle register probings run like a thread through "Personal Mountains," while the concluding "(Visiting) Ghosts" quotes the titular Albert Ayler tune, but reimagines it as a breathy vibrato-laden ballad. Initially at least, before a rubato swirl generates enough centrifugal force to spin off splintered shards in all directions, before murmurs, chiming percussion, tolling piano and Hemingway's ethereal vocals evoke a gentle goodnight lullaby.

That sums up the emotional volatility of which this line up is capable and caps an exhilarating listen in splendid style.

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