Liquid Trio: Marianne

The free jazz of the Liquid Trio might best be described as quicksilver, a sort of liquified metal. In the context of music making, their ability to move and change shape instantly makes them difficult to contain. Marianne, the follow up to Primer Dia i Última Nit (Sirulita, 2013), is the second album released by this ensemble.

The draw here, of course, is pianist Agusti Fernandez, an in demand solo performer. He is also the leader of a piano trio (with Ramón López and Barry Guy), a quartet, and his Celebration Ensemble, an octet that includes Nate Wooley, Mats Gustafsson and Joe Morris. Additionally, he can also be heard with Ken Vandermark, Evan Parker, and many, many more free players.

Fernández's collaboration with saxophonist Albert Cirera and drummer Ramón Prats pulls together his former students, now established improvisers themselves. The 45 minutes of music presented here is dynamic and abuzz with a thriving sound.

The trio is not wanting for ideas. Opening with "Night Is Generally My Time For Walking," a piece with no walking bass-line, as Fernández opts for the insides of his piano instead of the keyboard. Cirera's stuttering tenor plays a brushfire of notes as Prats juggles sticks and cymbals of agitated energy. The trio sets its sights on a tautness of sound. One requiring each player's full attention.

The 19-minute tour de force "Zugegeben" is complemented by the 52-second "I Was Born In The City Of Bombay," a haiku of improvisation. Each piece here seems to be just as long as necessary, and sculpted with just enough sound.

Cirera's saxophone pulls from the muscular style of Mats Gustafsson and the internal mathematics of Evan Parker. He is an excellent companion to the scrambling style of Prats, a drummer committed to commotion. Fernández's resourceful piano is present, but not necessarily the center of this affair. When he does proceed to the keyboard, as he does on "Zugegeben," his gamboling style animates the trio with a shimmer and polished shine.