Pedro Melo Alves: Conundrum Vol. 1 - Itself Through Disappearance

Great rock drummers are often ignored. One never pays attention to them during a performance because they are excellent, like Rolling Stones stalwart Charlie Watts. If, however, they are not up to scratch, one definitely will notice. The same and more so can be said for jazz and improvising drummers. Talent, imagination and creativity are at a premium in this domain. Pedro Melo Alves is an excellent example of what an inventive and expressive drummer can be. Alves can be heard in Luis Vicente's trio, HIIT with Andrea Grossi and Simone Quatrana, in the duo MOORIS with João Almeida, as a co-leader in The Rite Of Trio, the In Igma Ensemble, the percussion duo Bad Company with Pedro Carneiro, and his own Pedro Melo Alves' Omniae Large Ensemble. He also creates music for cinema, theatre and dance

The reason this Portuguese drummer is in high demand might be his solo work. His exploration of improvised and composed percussion mixes acoustic elements with electronics. With Conumdrum Vol. 1, Alves presents a sampler from a series of concerts he organized between 2019 and 2023, where he invited musicians to improvise with him in a duo format. Interestingly, all the artists were musicians he had never played with before. The thirteen tracks present thirteen new partners.

Highlights here are numerous. With João Barradas, the pair mix accordion/MIDI accordion with drums/percussion and electronics to create a floating ambient soundscape. Alves pairs off with vocalists Audrey Chen, Sara Serpa, Gil Dionísio and Ece Canlı. We get everything from the screech and squawk to ghostly passages and futuristic vocalizations. All are accented by percussive and live electronic effects. Alves' duo with bassist Carlos Barretto creates a dynamo by way of bowed bass and drumming energy systems. The Portuguese pianist João Grilo, with his prepared piano, matches Alves' percussive attack with a scrap yard of sound. Then, there is the deconstructed guitar of Nuno Rebelo, which is met by Alves' trick bag of percussion and electronics. Each duo meets, greets and is a treat to the ears.