Not quite Invitation

It seems that European jazz revels in experimentation, or maybe I just find it. Actually, I’ve also found but not attended trad and blues and swing. But this second night was anothery, Alibaba playing free / experimental somewhere in the style of Ornette. I loved this one. A quintet with softness and dynamics and considerable flexibility but also charts and with melodies and effective harmonies and starts and stops that speak of order, even if it’s discrete. The drums and bass seldom spelt out obvious rhythms, moving accents and complexity around freely, the upright piano seemed unamplified so only really easy to hear in a solo, but was nicely subtle and chordal and the two saxes (occasionally the tenor switched to bamboo flute or vocals) concurrently soloing with sympathy and some not-too-effective-live effects. The effects may be more obvious on one of their several albums. They played an hour set before a jam session and it was a great pleasure. Then into the jam, supposedly. It seemed more a personal gig for the convenor. Not that that was bad – he did a very nice take on free trumpeting – but not exactly open. A passing mention that bass and piano were on stage, then into a 30-min duo with drums, then another drummer invited up and as that duo started I left. But it was nice playing throughout the night and nicely inventive. As for the jam, maybe it’s fate that my pic of the duo failed to save, so no pic.

Aligaga and a jam were programmed at the Hot Club Gent. Aligaga comprised Jon Sensmeier (alto), Joos Vandueren (tenor, vocals, bamboo flute), Leonard Steigerwald (piano), Frederico Corsini (bass) and Daniel Junkers (drums). Bart Maris (trumpet) convened the jam.