absence |cs034

Then onto the trios, of which the first one has the well-known Axel Dörner (trumpet), Leonel Kaplan (trumpet) and Diego Chamy (percussion). As this was recorded (in 2003) in Buenos Aires, Argentinia, I have reasons to believe that Kaplan and Chamy are from Argentina. This is top of new improvisation. Dörner continues to explore his techniques of trumpet playing, which has nothing to do with the trumpet as such, but everything with the instrument as an object and Leonel Kaplan proofs to be a good student (assuming of course it's not Dörner who nicked the technique!) and the percussion of Chamy can be anything that has a surface to hit. Very intense playing by all three players on board and an even more demanding release that the previous highlight of this bunch. Frans de Waard (Vital)

Ferreous spots of swiftness in contrast with rusted kitchenware smelling of gunpowder; silence lurking amidst the gurgles of tonal renegation, while stretching harmonics and patches of instrumental encroachment agitate the sleep of an already resigned mechanical soul. Speculating about the undesirable parts of what once we called an instrumental lexicon, Dörner and Kaplan keep their valves in constant dire trouble, plunderers of hot air to be resold as gaseous tightroping. Chamy oversees these hobbling conversations while trying to be kind and smiling - only, his percussion array has no front teeth to flash, which makes his metallic sibilance even more specific. This peculiar association of silent skeptics falsifies the banknotes of pally improvisation, evidencing once again that joining someone does not necessarily mean that you must wear a fancy dress. Massimo Ricci (Touching Extremes)

One of the most esteemed performers in contemporary improvisation, trumpet Axel Dörner is here portrayed in a live in studio recording which took place in Buenos Aires in 2003. His accomplices are Leonel Kaplan (trumpet) and Diego Chamy (percussion): the former uses his instrument pretty much in a Dörner-like style, so that their frantic blowing, hisses and crackles make for intense duets, while Chamy punctuates the performance with sparse, but loud banging on unidentified percussions (probably bare metal pieces). If you're already familiar with Dörner’s improvisation tecniques, this disc won't take you by surprise, but it will be a nice add anyway; otherwise, it could be a good starting point. Eugenio Maggi (Chain DLK)

Absence (CS 034) features a trio consisting of trumpeters Axel Dörner and Leonel Kaplan joined by percussionist Diego Chamy. Recorded on a visit to Buenos Aires in March 2003, this isn’t the strongest thing I’ve heard from Dörner. But the trumpeters get into some excellently crackling, gurgling spaces that recall this label’s fine Abu Tarek. For example, long flatulence begins “n’thas” before that piece empties out appealingly into a chorus of whispers; and harsh, speaker-shredding noise is mimicked on “asn’th”. This stuff will clearly delight fans of post-Bill Dixon trumpet playing. Chamy, new to me, is a gifted colorist and creates a number of effects which sound electronic (he’s clearly been studying Burkhard Beins). Low eddies, swirls, and whooshes predominate (particularly on the opening “thasn’”), occasionally peaking during moments that suggest growling animals waiting to strike, almost as if angered by the listener. The best piece is saved for last, as the music swings between long silences or rests and hideously buckling metal noises. The disc meanders just a bit, but certainly has some fine moments. Jason Bivins (One Final Note)