North Quartet: Malamute

Mikolaj Trzaska turns out to be (maybe beside Tomek Gwincilski) the most dedicated to realize his artistic visions and probably the most honest representative of the first generation of yass artists. Free from any creation, motivation beside artistic one, temptations of media, not adding any vague ideology to his music, he follows his track with consistency. Lately Trzaska is most active in the area of free. This field requires real maturity, self-awareness, self-confidence but also humility. Moreover, when we speak about collective playing, it also requires good communication between participating artists. Otherwise it will become a sound shambles. Trzaska found appropriate partners to realize this formula in Peter Friis-Nielsen (bass) and Peeter Uuskyla (drums), with whom he recorded the album - Unforgiven North. Today these musicians are first and foremost recognized as Peter Brötzmann's section. But they both have been present on European scene of improvised music for a very long time. They root from free jazz but also from American tradition developing nearby, even coming across electro acoustic of free improv school (especially Friis Nielsen that I have met first as a member of Ghost-In-The-Machine - formation drawing directly from the output of groups such as Music Improvisation Company - and only later other projects). The line-up of the group was completed when Brötzmann himself joined the trio. This, really powerful!, album is the recording of the concert which took place in April this year. The quartet's esthetics are determined first of all by the ecstatic free jazz with the spirit of Ayler or late Coltran but also free improv from Europe as well as noise-jazz search from the area of Last Exit, All four musicians are artists with unique expression. Wild, croaking sound of Brötzmann - once called saxophone's butcher - still maintains its virulence. His titanic, furious tone yet doesn't contradict strokes of peculiar, austere lyricism. It is accompanied by sometimes clearer, loftier but often also harsh, penetrating, always impassioned Trzaska's alt. Phrases of wind instruments explode time after time, they turn into dialogues relating to dazzling with their intensity two-voices of Coltrane and Phaorah Sanders recorded in the last months of "Love Supreme" author's life. Sometimes the tension disperses in subtly folk motives which are Miko?aj's specialty. Complex but with internal logic (even if it is based only on intuition) architecture of the already mentioned, very original section creates wobbling but very elastic and still stable frame. Friis-Nielsen's thick, peculiarly splashing sound practically lacking any regularity and Uuskyla's groove - often as irregular, rather thrifty and not hasty - absorb with their specific in their own way funky vibration. The music seems to be an effort to get to own (as well as collective) extreme expression, which doesn't mean that instrumentalists lack self-control. Lack of control doesn't show the power of expression. In any case there is also space for moments of silence and concentration. It is worth to underline the aspect of "collectiveness". Although the language of each artist is very individual, they succeed in finding a relatively lasting common ground. What is important the music is also narrative, the pieces are peculiar stories; maintain structural unity and dramaturgical order.

Founding the North Quartet is Trzaska's unquestionable success. From Malamute emerges a picture of band impressing with lack of embarrassment, spontaneity and energy and at the same time characteristic and harmonious - and I can't say it about all Brötzmann's projects. Sometimes this German saxophonist seemed to me a sonic fury using his tenor with abandon regardless of the context. Closing himself in his own, hermetic world of sounds. Also here he blows with brawn and yet in harmony with the surrounding. Although it's not such a flowing and coherent statement as in the case of the most outstanding combo of liberated jazz improvisation in the last years - brilliant Die Like A Dog Quartet, where Brötzmann is accompanied by William Parker, Hamid Drake and Toshinori Kondo (in any case it is different school of playing), North Quartet is unquestionably a group with its own, charismatic nature presenting free on world level! - Lukasz Iwasinski (Fluid)