Ponto de Equilíbrio - Abre a Janela

Formed in a Rio de Janeiro hippy refuge in 1999, Ponto de Equilíbrio blend traditional aspects of roots reggae with musical flavours from across Brazil into an utterly distinctive and highly refreshing individual sound.

The group's second album, Abre a Janela, conveys a similarly diverse selection of moods and emotions, from deep, mellow grooves such as 'Janela Da Favela,' to summery upbeat songs like 'Verdaderio Valor' or 'Tão Bela' and a delightful cover of Bob Marley's classic 'Soul Rebel'.

Lead singer Helio Bentes plays the expected principal role with a richly animated and passionate voice, perfect for reggae. However, this does not deprive other band members of opportunities to express themselves. All the songs are finely structured with verses often sparingly allocated, augmented by the hovering ghostly presence of sweet female backing vocals and sharp horn arrangements. It is certainly more than a sum of its musical parts, tailored wonderfully by producer Chico Neves.

'Ponto de Equilíbrio' translates as 'Point of Equilibrium' – an excellent reflection of the myriad of musical characters present, all balanced and brought out in equal measure. No single element is dominant or overriding. Afro-Brazilian dance rhythms such as maculele, capoeira and maracatu, as well as dub and ska, are all underpinned by the constant spirit and feel of roots reggae.

On another level, the band name references the balance point between equality and love, injustice and war, and political messages are present on several tracks. 'O Inimigo' (The Enemy), for example, is an attack on the Brazilian establishment. It represents a fervent cry for people to fight the well-documented social segregation and racial discrimination which ravages Brazilian society. Spiky horn stabs punctuate the opening verses, and a later passage of rapped lyrics over minimal dub background provides an interesting contrast.

Abre a Janela is a set of tunes as colourful and striking as its album artwork. It captures the sheer diversity of history, culture and life in Brazil – each track has its own distinct personality. Neves has succeeded in harnessing the considerable powers of this talented band and making them sound great: the CD has been on daily rotation since it arrived, which is possibly the greatest praise any record can receive.


Published @ Fly, 30/5/08 - click here for original.

James Carter - Present Tense

James Carter may not yet be forty, but he possesses a degree of instrumental mastery which could easily be a lifetime's work. At different stages of this record, the versatile multi-instrumentalist plays tenor, soprano and baritone saxophones as well as flute and bass clarinet, all with equal power and precision.

This diverse approach to instrumental voicing is reflected in the range of material selected for Present Tense, Carter's first outing as a leader since 2005. From pacey post-bop inflections to silky Latin sensibilities and delicately nuanced ballad playing, it's all here. Producer Michael Cuscuna was keen to capture Carter's varied musical palette on a single disc, and by all evidence has done a fine job.

"Song of Delilah," an old favourite of Clifford Brown and Sonny Rollins, receives a modern hip-hop treatment from drummer Victor Lewis and bassist James Genus, and features Carter dueling with himself on two overdubbed tenor sax tracks. "Hymn of the Orient" is the record's unexpected gem, spotlighting Carter's baritone expertise and a series of lively interchanges with Lewis and Dwight Adams on trumpet. In terms of the leader's own writing, "Bro. Dolphy" is a composition of shifting moods and movements that climaxes with a furious face-off between trumpet and bass clarinet.

Carter has succeeded in assimilating the old school and simultaneously applying a contemporary personal touch to this great set of aptly chosen tunes. Trademark expressive, colorful solos are present for all to enjoy but despite occasional flamboyance, nothing ever sounds out of place: his improvisation is characterized by a wonderful coherence of thought, with ideas and motifs flowing effortlessly together in a way so many sax showmen struggle to grasp.

Present Tense may not go down in jazz history as a landmark recording, but it is an excellent CD which has done pleasing justice to the multi-dimensional talents of this modern master. James Carter's music is relentlessly fresh and enticing - remember the name.


Published @ allaboutjazz.com, 24/5/08 - click here for original.

These Acoustics Can Electrify

Pete Wareham is on a musical crusade: Acoustic Ladyland's frontman abandoned the traditional jazz direction to discover his real identity. Frederick Bernas heard all about it.

It wasn't a typical jazz club crowd. Over 100 standing people, overwhelmingly young, crammed into Dalston's Vortex to watch four musicians tear through a set of short, thrashy, piercing songs; this definitely wasn't a typical jazz club performance. No. It is exactly what Pete Wareham envisioned when the sound of his band transformed into a manic punk-jazz-rock hybrid that can be heard on the albums Last Chance Disco and Skinny Grin.

"I wanted to connect with people who were my age, because a lot of the time people were at least 20 years older than me," he explains. "I reached a point about five or six years ago where I got a bit confused because I'd gone so far down the jazz route and realised it wasn't really who I was. I grew up listening to Hendrix, Led Zepellin, Velvet Underground and things like that. Playing the saxophone and listening to all that rock music was like two worlds I could never join together."

These motivations led Wareham to a new journey, looking at how his instrument could function in a non-jazz context: "One of the big things was trying to explore life as a saxophonist outside playing jazz. I wanted to express my feelings for guitars and vocals because the saxophone can do those things as well, but I had to find a way to play in a rock context that didn't sound like 'rock sax', which is quite a dodgy area." Amen to that.

On the issue of jazz tradition, he admits maintaining a certain element – "I don't think it's about turning your back on tradition, it's just about not letting tradition intimidate you into thinking you can't be who you are. You've got to develop your own personal approach, trying to find the things you like without being a slave to those things."

Acoustic Ladyland's profound evolution is reflected in the fact that, technically, the name of the band is now completely misleading – the songs are far from acoustic. Its genre has been widely discussed but remains ambiguous, perhaps due to Wareham's reluctance to associate with popular pigeon-holing. "I don't know what genre it is. It's just all the types of music I like and we're trying to squeeze them together," he states hesitantly.

"I think a lot of people have us down as an experimental avant garde jazz band, which we're totally not, and I don't really care," he continues, with a bitter note in his voice. "I don't really give a shit to be honest; I'm getting so sick of industry bullshit that I don't care now. It's all bullshit. People are being lazy, trying to avoid having to carefully describe something based on what they feel. They just want a quick fix."

Indeed, the phrase 'punk jazz' has been frequently touted in connection to the emerging crop of progressive thinkers such as Wareham and drummer Sebastian Rochford. "In some ways the term 'punk jazz' makes me feel sick, but in other ways I quite like it. I like the idea of jazz having become such a studied and perfect thing and for it to be combined with trashy, simple, short songs which have real freedom and attitude. That's what punk represents to me. Jazz needs a bit of that, a bit of opening up.

"I didn't want us to be put in the little jazz corner, I want to be pitched against the best bands in the world. That's not because I think we are one of the best bands in the world or anything like that, but just because I want a fair crack of the whip, not to be marginalised in a little cupboard. No, it's music, and everyone should be allowed to get into it and not think they won't bother because it's jazz."

This question of jazz apathy amongst audiences is an interesting one – it's clear that Acoustic Ladyland has succeeded in accessing a far broader target group than hardcore devotees of the genre. "There are loads of people who have never listened to jazz before who love us and want to get into it after hearing we're from a jazz background, so we tell them about Mingus and all these brilliant things. Mingus was more punk rock than anyone around now."

Wareham has positive thoughts about the British jazz scene's current health, but speaks scathingly of the music industry in general. "There are a lot of new bands in the rock and pop world which are doing well, but they're not doing anything like what the hype suggests and they don't last very long. An awful lot of good music gets overlooked because it hasn't got the tag of being this or that, and I think this has been going on for centuries. The media and society always feel like it's new and different, but if you look at the Victorian age the same thing was going on."

Is there any hope for improvement? "It's always the same, I don't think it's ever going to change. It's just up to individuals not to moan about it and find a way round." Acoustic Ladyland's defiant musical persona certainly comes through in the words of its leader – "My view is that punk attitude. I was listening to The Clash on the way here, Joe Strummer singing 'If you lock me out, I'll kick your door in', and that's the thing for me: find your own way of doing it, don't just moan about the inherent problems."

One problem faced by many bands is currently afflicting Wareham: label difficulties. Despite the success of Skinny Grin, released on V2 in 2006, the company has since been bought by Universal and appears unenthusiastic. "We haven't got a record deal at the moment and I'm looking for one," Wareham elaborates. "I'm talking to anyone who can be arsed to phone me back, which seems to be very few people. It seems a standard thing to have a meeting with somebody who says they'll call you next week, but you never hear back. Apparently that's just the way it is, so fair enough. It's just stupid because they could have a really fucking brilliant thing going on if they were a bit more aware."

This is an obvious reference to recent Ladyland gigs, which have drawn large crowds across the country. Wareham is not overly worried about the next album, even in the midst of the label dilemma - "I'm not going to do it until I'm ready. I did have a timescale, but it's been blown out by various record companies not doing what they've promised. The music has taken on its own timescale and when it's really firing I think everything will fall into place.

"We're absolutely full throttle at the moment and the music is the best we've ever done. The band feels the best it's ever felt and we're really moving forward. Hopefully someone with a bit of nous somewhere will realise and make themselves known." Any takers?



< Published in London Tourdates magazine, 15/5/08.