Ballister: Smash and Grab

A listener might have a premonition when they drop the needle on the hot pink vinyl version or push the play button on the CD or digital download of Smash And Grab by the trio Ballister. They understand, or have knowledge by way of the trio's ten previous releases, that a storm awaits them. The trio of saxophonist Dave Rempis, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love conjure a tempest of sound that simply refuses to become background music.

Smash And Grab from the Catalytic Sound Festival at Elastic Arts in Chicago in 2022 marks the 15th anniversary of this special ensemble. Their performances, like every other band worldwide, had been few and far between due to the pandemic. Let's speculate that was what fueled this spontaneous combustion of sound. The 20+ minute "Smash" opens the performance in an all-out sprint. We are treated to a coordinated attack of pounding beats, scorching saxophone, and heavyweight bowed cello. It as if the trio were giving fair warning to the faint of heart in the audience to exit forthwith. A third of the way into the opener, a pause allows Lonberg-Holm to solo with some electronic effects before Nilssen-Love adds a meditative pulse inviting Rempis to join the sway. Even in the quieter moments the sounds Ballister present have ferocity. Maybe that is because we know storm clouds are brewing with the trio's commitment to pushing the envelope in the performances.

"Smash" segues without pause into "Even More Smashing" as Nilssen-Love unveils his broad palette of percussive attack and his bandmates follow his directions. The trio proceeds from a stop/start to speed freaks, blues and soul iterations to a contorted post-bop romp. "Grab" closes the affair and the trio never takes its foot off the accelerator. Only a unit this tight could drive at these speeds without crashing.

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