Miguel Ângelo Trio: Distopia

Portuguese double-bassist Miguel Ângelo is a busy guy. He leads a quartet, with which he has released three records, as well as the trio he appears with here. He is also a member of several other small groups and has, fairly uniquely, released a record of solo double bass—the splendidly titled I Think I'm Going To Eat Dessert (Creative Sources Recordings, 2017). It is more engaging that you might imagine and establishes beyond doubt that we are hanging with a very capable bassist.

The Miguel Angelo's first release, Utopia (Carimba Porto-Jazz) was reviewed well here and critically acclaimed, apparently, as among the best Portuguese jazz albums of 2019. Dystopia is presumably meant as a follow up, or so the book-matched titles would suggest.

It opens with "The Big Bang," bursts of alpha-waves broken by static, interspersed with fractured bass figures joining, accompanied by shards of rhythm from Mário Costa.

As that track dies down, the next track, "Universe Expansion," gently emerges out of space and into a slowly-building soundscape which, if it is meant to act as a soundtrack to the birth of the universe, does its job admirably. Luis Ribeiro's guitar starts delicately and grows increasingly raucous as the track develops into a deep jazz-rock groove that would sit happily on a John Abercrombie record.

An astute listener might already be wondering if this is some sort of cosmic concept album, and they would be right. It owes a lot to some of the epoch-defining fusion records, without feeling like a homage. It is more like a lost gem; If this were a recently uncovered ECM record from 1976, we would have been hearing all about it. As it is, we should be hearing all about it, because it is great.

"No Beginning and No End" showcases Ribeiro's invention and imagination, as well as Ângelo's compositional skills. It is followed by "In The Shade Of," a solo bass joint that shows how entertaining bass solos can be even, and maybe especially, without any accompaniment. Ângelo knows his stuff.

As indeed do the other members of the trio. This is a band that can turn on a sixpence. "A Tiny Fraction of a Second" would be a pleasant but dull floaty bit of space-jazz if it were not for the bursts of static and startling, clattering, a-rhythmic drum fills, brilliantly echoed by Ângelo's bass, which instead bring a sharp seasoning of chaos. Ângelo's space is not always a welcoming place.

Through this record, the band listen and respond to each other with remarkable insight. Improvised from fundamental structures composed by Ângelo, there is enough unifying the tracks that they blend beautifully into a longer piece (you have really got to listen to this in the order the musicians have chosen) and enough separating them that it is never a dull or repetitive listen. To say that some tracks are stronger than others would be to miss the point. Everything here is contributing to the whole.

It is evident from the way that band members react and respond that there has been an improvisational process at work, but this is nonetheless a carefully-put- together record that includes some very deliberate writing. "Real Time" is a long drift into relaxation, immediately followed by "Imaginary Time," which is similar but different, a companion piece and a counterpoint. The balance of freedom and structure is commendable.

All of which has been leading up to the closing tune. "The Partnership" is a post-rock workout that includes extended extracts from a Stephen Hawking lecture, from which, it becomes apparent, the track titles have all been taken.

Done badly, this could be really irritating, Instead, it provides a penny- dropping moment that might make you want to go back and listen to the whole thing again now that you know what to listen for.

Ângelo is a well-educated guy, with two degrees; one in computer science and applied mathematics and the other in double bass and jazz from the Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo. With that context, this record makes a lot of sense. The concept, as it were, is handled deftly and enhances the music where it could have constrained.

As a meditation on the congruence between religion and science, the duality of the conscious and the unconscious, this record works. It also works as a very rewarding piece of art from a band who understand each other well, making some music that is challenging, engrossing and often captivating. The world may feel dystopian sometimes, but this record is full of warmth and hope.

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