Blind Io At LOFT, Cologne

Blind Io
LOFT
Cologne, Germany
March 17, 2025

It is early evening in Cologne and the fragile springtime sunlight has vanished. Cold, dry air clings to lungs and scratches windpipes as audience members climb four flights of stairs to LOFT. Inside this dusty post-industrial venue, the windows are shut and invisible particles between the 25 attendees are stuck in place, motionless. But not for long.

Four members of Blind Io shuffle into the performance area at the front of the room and agitate that unseen atmospheric matter during two compelling sets. The improvising group combines tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock with pianist Bram De Looze and drummer Teun Verbruggen, plus Ikue Mori on laptop and electronics. Together, they whip up a sonic cyclone.

After a shy start to set one, the group raises the volume. Melodic saxophone phrasing leads the way, with Laubrock's shape-and-cluster approach at the heart of the action. Mori's contributions often crackle out of the speakers, smudging the lines between her instrument and Verbruggen's snare drum. A molten phase of electronic whale-song offers a chance to investigate extended techniques. The drummer unpacks bells, chains and gongs. Laubrock clonks the saxophone's keys, then slurps and sizzles down its mouthpiece. After sixty minutes, they take a break.

De Looze's piano lurked between the many layers of aural fabric in set one. He keeps his powder dry for the first 15 minutes of set two. As the subtlest flavor in this four-part mix, he mostly favors pretty patterns and cool-headed commentaries. In this second section, he eventually teams up with Laubrock and provides a solid platform for her experiments. Mori and Verbruggen interlock and overlap their voices on the other side of the stage.

Throughout the show, high-end microphones poke their noses under the Steinway's lid and crane their necks into the bell of Laubrock's saxophone. The evening's interactions is set to hit the shelves as an album via Rat Records in 2025. LOFT has served as a recording space for over 1,000 releases. It was also voted Club of the Year by the German Jazz Union in 2021 and 2023.

Each player in Blind Io has a distinct musical self, but they meld and interhelix their personalities with deep skill. On March 17, the four-piece group ruffled the stale air and gave LOFT's unmoving molecules an electric shock. As they descended four flights of stairs, two dozen concertgoers carried much livelier lungfuls out into the city's hushed and frigid streets.