"Aida Severo"
SLAMCD 275 bar code: 50 28386 02752 2
Chris Williams - Alto Saxophone, Joe Egan - Trumpet, Philip Somervell - Piano, Colin Somervell - Double Bass, Vasilis Sarikis - Drums.
Tracks:
1. Hunter Gunter - 10:39 - (written by Philip Somervell)
2. Williams_Egan - 3:28 - (Chris Williams & Joe Egan)
3. Doce Ocho - 9:25 - (Philip Somervell)
4. Somervell_Somervell_Sarikis - 4:02 - (Philip Somervell, Colin Somervell, & Vasilis Sarikis)
5. Untitled - 6:50 - (Philip Somervell)
6. Williams_Somervell_Sarikis - 2:29 - (Chris Williams, Philip Somervell, & Vasilis Sarikis)
7. For Bruno S. - 7:06 - (Philip Somervell)
Recorded June 3rd 2007 at Trinity College of Music. Recording Engineer: Kit Venables.
"Aida Severo"
Chris Williams - Alto Saxophone, Joe Egan - Trumpet, Philip Somervell - Piano, Colin Somervell - Double Bass, Vasilis Sarikis - Drums.
Unknown to me, this young British free jazz band brings a remarkably mature and highly enjoyable record. Led by Philip Somervell on piano, the band consists of Chris Williams on alto saxophone, Joe Egan on trumpet, Colin Somervell on double bass, and Vasilis Sarikis on drums. The music is built around themes that sound like 60s free jazz, think Ayler or even Coleman, but the music also has this typical European or even British free improv sound, with the major difference that Philip Somervell's piano-playing often acts as a soothening factor, like cream in soup, or a softening factor to counterbalance the once in a while sharp edges. This mix between composed and free moments works very well, both within the tracks, but it is also mirrored in the CD's structure, with long pieces alternated with shorter totally free improvisations. And it must be said: the compositions themselves are great and will be appreciated by the more mainstream lovers, while the free-er parts can really go wild. An interesting blend, full of power, intensity and lyricism. Great band. Great music. Highly enjoyable.
On a side-note : the nice art work gives a good representation of the black and white contrasts used in the music, as well as the combination of the abstract and the figurative. Listen to samples on MySpace.
http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/
AIDA SEVERO –AIDA SEVERO
Label:Slam
Release Date:2008
Tracklist:Hunter Gunter; Williams/Egan; Doce Ocho; Somervell/Somervell/Sarikis; Untitled; Williams/Somervell/Sarikis; For Bruno S
Personnel:Chris Williams: alto sax; Joe Egan: trumpet; Philip Somervell: piano; Colin Somervell: double bass; Vasilis Sarikis: drum‘Aida Severo’ alternates ensemble material built around pianist Philip Somervell’s jazz-flavoured compositions with shorter free improvisations for smaller combinations of musicians within the group. The Brotherhood-of-Breath-tinged melody of ‘Hunter Gunter’ evolves into some raucous collective improvisation, spurred by Chris Williams’ alto sax, and climaxing about four minutes in with Joe Egan blowing fast, brash figures. From there the mood changes, Egan taking a solo which builds in burred tones over quiet, inquisitive bass, Somervell’s piano rising in volume to usher in another climax and to spark a new section, possessing intensity of a different kind, as piano and drums skitter around the woody thrum of a bass solo before roiling chords bring back the acclamations of the melody.
Following this comes the first of the free improvisations, a duet between Williams and Egan, which finds them mostly working complementary lines, ranging into faster flights but staying mostly in the fairly subdued mood with which they end. ‘Doce Ocho’ is another fine composition by Somervell, alternating a delicious, almost classically-flavouredmoto perpetuopiano figure with a unison theme whose rhythmic and harmonic flavour seems fairly typical of much modern British jazz (think Guy Barker, Gerard Presencer, and the like). Saxophone multiphonics and sliding bowed bass initiate a creakily mysterious feel for an initially drumless group improvisation; when the drums do enter, Somervell’s piano becomes more skittish, though there is still plenty of space left during another solo by Egan, whose gruff, mid-range tone seems to owe something to Bill Dixon. A piano solo switches between jazz rhythms and rolling, quick-fire repetitions, ending on a series of repeated chords. The long, dying reverberations of the sustain pedal cue in a repeat of the composed material.
A free improvisation for the ‘rhythm section’ finds Somervell in discursive mood, staying within the lower to mid range of the keyboard, his brother plucking a steady but ambiguous course underneath, Sarikis contributing slowly emerging cymbal strokes and light taps which rise and fall along complementary melodic axes.
The next composition is ‘Untitled’, consisting of a song-like but slightly tricksy melody stated by bright, optimistic saxophone and trumpet over the darker hues of a unison piano and bass vamp. In terms of colour and harmony, this comees across rather like Miles Davis’ 1960s Quintet with Herbie Hancock: at one point, Somervell plays what sounds like a direct Hancock quote, and Egan’s trumpet, though venturing down into some lower-register growls, is much more within traditional jazz parameters here than elsewhere on the disc. It’s pretty and expertly executed – there can’t really be any complaints with that. The final improvised piece is also the shortest, and provides an immediate contrast: frantic altissimo saxophone, drums and piano going for it full tilt, with a nicely controlled conclusion keeping things concise.
Though it might not be immediately clear from the scratchy opening, ‘For Bruno S’ is the disc’s ballad, and I assume it’s dedicated to the actor who starred in Werner Herzog’s ‘The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser’ and ‘Stroszek.’ Somervell’s melody is again a fine one, the man himself laying down some lovely chord progressions, the thing unfolding in a wistfully musing atmosphere, combining a certain aspect of melancholy with a more optimistic sense of beauty and contentment. The freer aspects, heard particularly in Egan’s trumpet playing, build on and move beyond this mood without destroying it: passion within the bounds of an adaptable but clear structural framework. It’s a lovely way with which to end what is, throughout, a very pleasurable listen. (David Grundy) http://eartripmagazine.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/eartrip-issue-5/)
Aida Severo is a fairly standard quintet line-up with two horns fronting a piano trio, but on (3)they push out at the edges of freedom. The four compositions are all by pianist Philip Somerveil, and he has heard his Ornette Coleman, as the joyful bouncing melodies of "Hunter Gunter" and "Doce Ocho" show. Altoist Chris Williams favors the lower register and has a honking Blues tenor approach, while Joe Egan's trumpet is warm and fleet, often dominating the group sound. The four longer compositions are separated by short improvisations that break up the quintet into various duos and trios. Because they lack the cohesion of the composed work, they function more as interludes to the "serious" work of the group. Enjoyable open eared Jazz here, but not really essential. Phillip McNally Cadence July 2009.
AIDA SEVERO
Pianist Philip Somervell, with alto saxophonist Chris Williams, bassist Colin Somervell, trumpeter Joe Egan and drummer Vasilis Sakiris came together for a day's recording at Trinity College, London with the desire to document both a number of Philip's pieces, but also to record in an unfettered environment where they felt able to play without the constraints of formal structure. Seven cuts of spontaneous abandonment were the result and an anarchic joy fills each piece. Springboard harmonic moments, such as the keyboard motif in Doce Oco, add balance and direction to the project to ensure varied listening. Liberating and fulfilling.
Musician December 2008.
Cinque in incognito SLAMCD 275 di Vittorio LoConte
Arriva dall´Inghilterra un giovane quintetto di musicisti che hanno ben lavorato per presentare in forma originale le loro riflessioni sulla libertà e su quello che è il genere free. I brani si srotolano lungo il disco con esecuzioni in quintetto o in altre formazioni, ognuno con una sua logica, un´idea dietro, che danno coerenza all´intero svolgimento. "Hunter Gunter" che apre il disco lo fa con un´aria da fanfara, che ci riporta alla lontana alle atmosfere ayleriane, se non che poi l´esecuzione ci mostra altre idee: il sax alto di Chris Williams dallo stile vocale e la tromba di Joe Egan innamorata delle note basse, di suoni graffiati che spuntano a sorpresa nel contesto. A seguire un duo, senza accompagnamento, dei suddetti musicisti, conciso ed elegante. Con "Doce Ocho" siamo su un´altro tipo di composizione, scritta, come tutte quelle per il quintetto, dal pianista Philip Somervell. L´atmosfera del tema è di tipo europeo e lascia immaginare degli arpeggi cantabili, ed invece no, tutto va a pezzi e si va su territori che appartengono al genere creativo, ben arrangiati e strutturati, senza troppe libertà di distruggere il presupposto di partenza. A seguire la ritmica da sola, con accanto al pianista Colin Somervell al contrabbasso e Vassilis Sankis alla batteria. Un pianismo astratto, più memore di Paul Bley che di Cecil Taylor, molto suggestivo, così come lo è l´"Untitled" che segue, forse il momento migliore dell´album, per il tema, gli ispirati assoli,la compattezza dell´esecuzione. A chiudere un breve trio per piano, sax e batteria, arrabbiato e feroce e poi il cambio di atmosfera, la ballad di "For Bruno S." eseguita con toccante partecipazione. Il disco del giovane quintetto inglese è un´interessante scoperta, in cui la libertà di esecuzione viene sottoposta ad una sapiente opera di strutturazione.
Musicboom.it 14/12/08