Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Michael Bisio / MMBC: MMBC Terma

16

Michael Bisio / MMBC: MMBC Terma

By

View read count
Michael Bisio / MMBC: MMBC Terma
Among the side effects of the 2020-2021 pandemic has been the rediscovery of misplaced resources. The trio MMBC dug up the fourteen-year-old recording MMBC Terma, a collection of nine group compositions and improvisations. MMBC is an acronym condensing the initials of the players. Tenor saxophonist (and psychoanalyst) Michael Monhart and drummer Ben Chadabe are lightly-recorded; acclaimed bassist-composer Michael Bisio rounds out the group and is best known for his work with Matthew Shipp.

The chronologically ordered tracks reveal a collection which should never have been left in the vault. Monhart and Chadabe, whose inspirations include Milford Graves, dominate the brief "mmbc01," a lyrical but idiosyncratic piece which gives way to the exotic opening of "mmbc02." Monhart, who carries this one alone, begins by invoking the sound of an ocarina on the sax, then moves to the natural tenor sound on a striking piece. "mmbc03" initially puts Bisio up front as he scrapes the strings, setting a somber tone which Monhart and Chadabe quickly decimate. Taking the frenetic pace close to breaking point, the trio gradually retreats, easing the intensity.

The second half of MMBC Terma lands in more esoteric territory. "mmbc04" has an exotic, Eastern undercurrent and leads into a Chadabe solo number that is both resonant and nimble. At more than fourteen minutes, "mmbc07" is the most free-wheeling piece on the album. Monhart and Chadabe bounce into as many disparities as possible, and Bisio makes his presence deep and distinct, even while providing the anchor in some very complicated passages. Bisio's nomadic, exploring bass sounds superb on "mmbc08" as he meets with a sympathetic, probing sax and Chadabe's primal rhythms.

MMBC Terma has an energy which seems to pour out of every piece, increasing depth and feeling. The trio creates sounds of otherworldly serenity and, alternately, colliding worlds. Monhart, Chadabe, and Bisio have plenty to say, and this album makes one wish they had created a larger body of work as a unit. Bisio has said that he hopes his music is a healing force; it is very much so on this album, which grows with repeated listening. The CD cover features the fascinating visual art of Dawn Bisio, Michael's wife.

Track Listing

mmbc01; mmbc02; mmbc03; mmbc04; mmbc05; mmbc06; mmbc07; mmbc08; mmbc09.

Personnel

Michael Bisio
bass, acoustic
Michael Monhart
saxophone

Album information

Title: MMBC Terma | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.