Despite five years of performance in the NYC area, this is the debut album of the collective trio of Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Brandon Lopez on bass and Tom Rainey on drums, fueled by the near-telepathic rapport of Laubrock & Rainey and expanded by the ferocious and astute contributions of Lopez, avoiding histrionics through literate and impeccably controlled discourse.
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2022 Country: Switzerland Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold 3 Panels w/ booklet Recorded at GSI studios, in New York, on April 25th, 2021, by Jason Rostkowski.
"Dreamlike experiences. Sparks fly and a musical interaction works without arrangement or plan. An organic musical process develops out of intuition alone. The same magic happens every time.
When Brandon Lopez, a New Yorker with Puerto Rican roots, joined the duo of saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tom Rainey, this wasn't simply about adding a plus one to the Laubrock - Rainey duo. Thanks to the young bassist (born 1988), already collaborating with musicians from Dave Liebman via Zeena Parkins to John Zorn, a new dynamic has formed involving all three. In this triangular constellation a different balance is achieved and an altered play of energies. They are clearly on the same wavelength, with a similar sense and understanding of overarching form, inner structure, timing, feeling, energy, density, transparency and volume."-Intakt
"Right from the first note the chemistry between them was right. The interplay between the three worked so effortlessly and naturally it bordered on telepathy. The three want to keep up the momentum and capture the magic moment,"-Christoph Wagner, from the liner notes.
"The debut album by this trio, which has been gigging around the greater NYC area for closing on five years, declares itself honestly. It is not the beach. But depending on your affinity for music that is both free and very thoughtfully organized, it might be every bit as enjoyable as a trip to the seaside.
Everything on No Es La Playa is collectively improvised by bassist Brandon Lopez, soprano/tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tom Rainey. No one here is a stranger to such practices, and it shows. Laubrock and Rainey were already veterans with decades of experience playing no-net improvisation, conventionally swinging and rigorously composed jazz before they joined forces, in both the familial and musical senses, over a decade ago. They worked extensively as a duo before COVID time, and when gigs weren't an option in 2020-2021, they issued 60 home-recorded tracks on their Bandcamp page. The pair has also been part of larger ensembles, including a remarkable trio with Mary Halvorson. Lopez is much younger, but he has thrived in similarly configured, free fall-oriented ensembles with Dave Rempis, Steve Baczkowski and others.
Given all that experience, one might expect to be strongly reminded of all those other projects. But one of this album's virtues is the extent to which it forges a unique collective identity out of its members' familiar strengths. This comes, in part, from dialing back on certain aspects of what they've done. There's less of Laubrock's extended reed techniques than one hears in the Laubrock-Rainey Duo; instead, she pivots to pure-toned, slippery figures that maneuver in unexpected directions that capitalize upon the responsiveness of her fellow musicians. Lopez also plays a bit less aggressively than he often does, but no less fleetly; most of the time, he's the rhythmic center. While it's partly a matter of a very drum-friendly mix, Rainey feels very upfront here, not just due to volume, but because his independent, simultaneous attacks on different parts of the kit creates a possibility-rich sonic framework for the group's interactions, and his strategic punctuations assert strong opinions about where the music should go. Here's hoping that when the virus' lethality fades, this trio hits the road; they're way too good to be confined to home turf."-Bill Meyer, Dusted Magazine
Includes a 12-page booklet with liner notes in German and English, images, credits and discographical information.