Houtkamp / Tramontana / Beresford / Blume: Frush

The improvising trio comprising Netherlands tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Luc Houtkamp, British pianist and player of electronics and objects Steve Beresford, and German drummer and percussionist Martin Blume is well established, having recorded their first trio album Live in Prague 2017 (the pow ensemble, 2017) in November 2017 at the Alternativa Festival in Czechia, followed by Shed 1 (FMR, 2020), recorded in concert at LOFT in Cologne, Germany, in October 2018. On each of those albums, all of the music was credited jointly to all three players, often an indication that the music was freely improvised.

Now we have another album, Frust, recorded in concert at LOFT, Cologne, in November 2023. They are now a quartet, the trio having been joined by Sicilian trombonist Sebi Tramontana, who is also a long-standing member of the Italian Instabile Orchestra. His membership of the orchestra dates back to the early nineties, meaning he was a well-established member when the orchestra recorded the excellent The Owner of the River Bank (Enja 2003), live in concert with Cecil Taylor in September 2000. On the evidence of Frush, Tramontana fits in with the other three as if he has been a member for years.

As on the trio albums, the music on Frush is jointly credited to all four players. The album comprises seven tracks ranging from 3' 44" to 12' 07," and totaling 54' 10." As for the album title, each track title begins with F and seems to be a made-up nonsense word. The music is free improv at its best, without any player dominating the soundscape at the expense of the others or falling back on predictable clichés as filler. Instead, all four players sound as if they are listening and reacting to the others. Reacting does not necessarily mean that they play something similar. Sometimes the best way to react is to remain silent and give others space in which to play. The YouTube clip below demonstrates how each of the four balances their playing with that of the others to produce music which carries the unmistakable hallmark of each one as well as that of the quartet as a whole. In a nutshell, this is a textbook example of free improv at its best. Highly recommended.