Rodrigo Amado: La Grande Crue

Inviting guests to supplement his core bands has proven a winning formula for Portuguese saxophonist Rodrigo Amado in the past, and the gambit bears fruit again on La Grande Crue. This time out, French pianist Eve Risser is the plus one, following in the footsteps of trombonist Jeb Bishop, trumpeter Peter Evans and pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach. She joins the outfit known as The Attic, completed by Amado's countryman bassist Gonçalo Almeida and Dutch drummer Onno Govaert.

Amado's own virtues are well known by this stage: his rough-hewn tenor sound has been one of the most potent voices on the European scene for almost two decades. Although Risser receives acclaim for helming the Red Desert Orchestra, a unit inspired by the music of Mali, she also persuades as an unfettered adventurer in small group settings, as evidenced by a brace of recordings by her trio, notably En Corps (Dark Tree, 2012). She brings something of both approaches to this studio session, modifying her piano with preparations to provide an unconventional buttressing as well as a wayward lead.

The four lengthy collective inventions unfold in the free jazz vernacular. Almeida and Govaert largely furnish a throbbing forward momentum, around and through which the leader and the pianist weave their magic. Amado slightly dials back his customary intensity, coming on poised, sometimes lyrical and even reflective, but never without impact. Like the saxophonist, Risser calls on repeated motifs to fuel her excursions, giving rise to a lovely percussive passage in "Peau" when piano and drums lock in hammered synch. Such episodes are indicative of the wily interactions that ensure there is always something going on to grab the ear at multiple levels.

Only on the final "Pierre" do the klaxons wail. Even then the denouement comes after a series of atmospheric exchanges between overblown saxophone, keening arco bass and indeterminate spacious thuds. Amado's tenor takes on a demonstrative swagger as Risser ushers in a restless metallic juddering. Her clanking keys add a distinctive flavor to a date already rich in drama and high on excitement.

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