Nebbia/Banner/Andrzejewski: Presencia

Argentinian tenor saxophonist Camila Nebbia wants it known that she is far more than a passing presence on the contemporary jazz scene. Her high-powered, highly personal saxophone voice has become an in-demand commodity, appearing across a wide range of settings and labels. She has collaborated with artists such as Marilyn Crispell, Leo Genovese, Patrick Shiroishi, Angelica Sanchez, Susana Santos Silva and Kit Downes, while also releasing two striking solo statements: una ofrenda a la ausencia (Relative Pitch, 2023) and Rastro O Vacío (Lilaila Records, 2025). These recordings alone establish Nebbia as an artist with depth, patience, and a long view.

With Presencia, Nebbia shifts focus to a working collaborative trio alongside UK bassist James Banner and German drummer Max Andrzejewski. Each member contributes compositions, and the music was captured live in the moment, lending the recording an immediacy that feels both focused and exploratory. This is not a studio-polished artifact but a document of musicians thinking and reacting in real time.

The album opens with the tightly packed "Choco," where the trio navigates the constant threat of free-jazz eruption (perhaps implosion) contained by agreed-upon compositional boundaries. Such restraint is only possible within a seasoned ensemble, and their shared language is immediately evident. "Meander" unfolds exactly as its title suggests, drifting through an open-ended, three-way dialogue. "Lattice" functions as a slow-motion blues, anchored by Andrzejewski's steady pulse, examining its internal structures with almost scientific focus.

Two brief interludes, "Sediment I" and "Sediment II," offer freely improvised pauses that feel less like detours and more like signals of future directions. "Arid" begins in desolation, Nebbia probing the edges of her horn's registers, until Banner and Andrzejewski gradually build pressure and release the sound. A similar arc appears on "Lugar," which evolves from bowed bass and cymbal textures into funk-inflected momentum and open improvisation.

Throughout Presencia, the trio demonstrates remarkable discipline, balancing form and freedom with assurance. The result is a recording that feels grounded yet restless, music that asserts Nebbia's growing presence not as a momentary spark, but as a sustained and evolving force.

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