Pah Homestead 16/4/25
Lukas Fritsch – alto sax and bass clarinet
Joe Kaptein – piano
Robin Baek – guitar
Tyler Diprose – bass
Maxmillian Crook-drums and leader.
Manitoto…( this is a place in Central Otago).opened with audible bass and understated drumming … the piano soloing like ripples sparkling on dark waters ,touching on Eastern European folk music… launching a bass clarinet solo of Coleman gold.
The next untitled number was an exciting free improvisation in the style of the Art Ensemble of Chicago. The bass very much up front, Lukas taking a different direction on the bass clarinet. Explosive Rein Rannap style improvising seraging into blues from Joe ,brilliant on the piano.
Maxes Thing(by Jonathon Crayford) Joe Kaptein’s fragile broken colours spreading to the edge of the sky…alto sax like a big red summer dawn …driven by a drum dance shimmering aural silver…. building to a storm… dark over the steppe lands…leading to Robins fluid guitar solo drawing from straight ahead to free… then Luka’s comes in Colemanesqe …. sunshine after the storm.
River Spirits A sax response to the piano solo like a river snaking silver through a green land…a guitar solo like birdsong on the summer plains. Sax solo gold embracing the sun driven upwards by drums in full force.
Old Ghosts random gods There was a feeling of triumph over difficult times ,sparkling from the piano…while Lukas solo felt like he was wrestling against and overcoming dark forces…bowed bass and subtle drums worked well, with Robin adding his contribution to the collective improvisation.
Outside trees danced in the Autumn wind echoed by the piano solo…this turned nto a expanding cloud of Art Ensemble of Chicago influenced improvisation …. each musician throwing wild colours onto the canvas…Robins solo was a Hiriam Bullock inspired masterpiece. As Max did not have a title for this yet I suggested a title Trevor Watts used in a similar situation 35 years ago. “Wild wild beauty.
A song to cherry trees… a reflective piano solo lead from the drums and bass. Like a horse and rider running free ahead of a darkening storm over the steppe .While the bass clarinet called from a midnight New York jazz club to the lonely backstreets.
Dear Friends.. a mellow expansive feel … inspired by the Art Ensemble of Chicago. I liked how Joe Kaptein brought elements of Rein Rannap into his own style. My four older grand-daughters came along too, they play guitar and drums. They really were inspired by these talented advanced musicians.
GT
