Olga Amelchenko: Howling Silence

Olga Amelchenko, the Russian born, Paris based saxophonist and composer, is joined here on her fourth recording as leader by a strong ensemble with members old and new. Jesus Vega has been playing drums with Amelchenko for a long while. Canadian guitarist Matthew Stevens, who did such great work with Walter Smith III, is a new addition to the group. It is not obvious that this particular iteration of Amelchenka's band is recent; They play as if they have known each other for years.

The first track, "Howling Silence," is formed of some relatively simple material played with furrowed-brow concentration and impatience, with the beginnings and ends of solos barging into each other as they push for room. There is a well-evoked sense of claustrophobia built on a simple, hypnotic piano vamp. The sound is lush and enticing from the word go, with the interplay of these excellent musicians promising that what is to come might be something a little bit special.

And it is. The next track, "Irreversible," starts with most of the group playing thoughtfully but with an underlying feeling of anxiety provided by Vega's relentless drumming, initially quite at odds with the rest of the ensemble. As the piece goes on, it finds more space and opens out into a confident and satisfying piece of music, rather reminiscent of Carla Bley's later trio work.

As the record progresses it becomes increasingly evident that this is a work that is not trying to grab the listener by the collar from the first bars, and is instead happy to trust us to stick with it. "Midnight Dances" juxtaposes more modern, hip playing with some old-fashioned romance, and why not? The American Songbook is built on romance, after all. No one is playing out of their skins here, and no one needs to. There is nothing to prove. Instead we get mature, understated work from all involved.

That maturity is well expressed in "April," where Amelchenko does what good band leaders do; She gives her band some great harmonic material and lets them get at it how they like. With writing this strong and players this good, it is no surprise that her approach produces some music of beauty and vitality.

With a title like Howling Silence you might imagine that this record was going to be a rather difficult, angsty listen. It would be a shame if that put any listeners off because this is rather a beautiful record. Playing ballads is hard -Miles Davis, a master of using silence effectively, complained that John Coltrane needed to say less, more carefully. Amelchenko approaches "May Have Forgotten Its Way" with great poise, exquisite tone and the courage to let the spaces carry their share of the weight. It is an exposing setting which, rather than showing any flaws in her playing, emphasizes her ability. Etienne Renard's bass is splendidly restrained and Enzo Carniel knows how to comp to make your heart ache. Wonderful stuff.

Throughout, the playing from the whole ensemble is excellent. They play to each other's strengths and never seek to monopolize or overshadow. The production and recording are excellent, and the sense of space in the music is echoed in a wonderfully wide-screen sound. The packaging of the vinyl edition is a reminder of how much we lost with the move to other formats.

There is so much music in the world that making a mark must feel almost impossible, and consequently the temptation to grab attention must be strong. Rather than being drawn by glitter and flash, Amelchenko plays this one from the soul. As leader, she musters her not insignificant forces very effectively, never over-playing her hand. Serious, thoughtful, hip and beautiful, this is a record to be listened to many times.

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