Daniel Carter / Adriano Camacho / Federico Ughi: Trabajadores De Energia

Jazz must be one of the most cosmopolitan art forms going. A case in point would be American multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter and Brooklyn-based Italian drummer Federico Ughi, the twin founders of NYC's esteemed 577 Records imprint, met with Mexican bassist Adriana Camacho in Italy in Spring 2023. The title of the resultant Trabajadores De Energia, "Power Workers" in English perhaps, might suggest a needle-in-the-red blow-out, but Carter does not lean that way anymore. After a tenure in such fire-breathing outfits as TEST and Other Dimensions In Music, the 78-year-old veteran's late career trajectory has moved towards a reflective earthy lyricism.

Straight out of the starting gate on "Oltre La Montagna, Il Mare," his aching muted trumpet extemporizes a blue-tinged ballad to affirm the approach, ably supported by Camacho's pillowy pizzicato and Ughi's whispering brushes. Evoking Miles Davis more than might be anticipated given the track record, his heartrending lines gradually turn consolatory when he dispenses with the mute. The stripped-back trio format without a keyboard allows him to demonstrate his piano chops. Once on the keys he comes on playful, with spacy atonal runs which vie with Ughi's bristling drums. He finishes the cut on alto saxophone, where his spaciously placed breathy sighs lead to another passage dominated by Camacho's soulful contrapuntal slurs down the fingerboard.

Over the two lengthy group concoctions, the transparency, focus and tensile net created by his partners amply showcase Carter's expressive powers. He enjoys a particular connection to Ughi's sensitive accompaniment and kinetic clatter, with several moments of low-key synchrony, such as the repeated single note which paces the drummer's sprightly tonally savvy tumble near the outset of "Amanecer." Later in the same piece, following a hushed conversational interlude, his quivering falsetto shows how to extract maximum emotional heft from the simplest of ingredients. It is a lesson that the reedman absorbed long ago but continues to expound with ever greater impact.

Although Carter graces many of the label's releases, this stands as one of his finest of recent years.