Alberto Pinton: Nascent

Italian-born, Stockholm-based sax and woodwinds player Alberto Pinton new quartet Nascent = 14719 brings the best of him. Pinton is an experienced and varied musician who honed his art in dozens of recordings as a leader, co-leader— in his own former quartet and quintet, Dog Out quartet with saxophonist Fredrik Nordstrom and another collaborative quartet with saxophonist Jonas Kullhammar or as a sideman; a clever composer who is well versed with the rich jazz legacy but does not feel bound by it and a passionate performer who is not shy of experimenting with abstract tonalities or expressing his deep emotions. For his new band Pinton chose versatile and flexible musicians whose musical interests go beyond the jazz idiom— bass player Christian Spering, guitarist Peter Nylander and drummer Peter Danemo.

The ten compositions of Pinton feature his rich vocabulary. He can be a powerful, muscular leader on "Off We Go" and "Strength And Passion," using his baritone sax over the supportive and tight rhythmic section, enjoying the rhythmic abstraction of Nylande and pushing the quartet to urgent, excited performances. But he can lead the quartet into the collaborative, chamber jazz-like gentle dance of "Si Va Al Mare," with playful clarinet playing or sketch a nuanced storytelling narratives on "Why You Shouldn't Ask For More," "Canto" and "Clean Slate." These detailed musical landscapes highlight the busy, communicative interplay with Nylander, the ability of the quartet to interact within spare and loose atmosphere or to exchange moods and and emotions, especially on the elaborate "Clean Slate."

Pinton plays with colors and sounds. His fragile playing of the bass flute on "Kojan" reaches close to the sound of the Japanese Shakuhachi flute and on the short and delicate "Nu" he creates a medieval melody. "Solo Theme" played on the bass clarinet is a showcase of extended techniques— using breaths for meditative, low-register drone effects or percussive usage of the instrument keys.

Nascent is an impressive document of well-crafted compositions, performed beautifully by strong-minded and expressive musicians.