Sneaky Pete / Slugs'

KEN ALDCROFT’S CONVERGENCE ENSEMBLE: Sneaky Pete/Slugs’
Trio, 2012

AVANT-JAZZ – Canadian guitarist leads a very fine sextet, balancing free movement and cerebral composition. Aldcroft’s lightly jabbing sound sometimes steps in front but more often buries itself within the ensemble, providing texture and quiet guidance. The whole group is excellent, but Nicole Rampersaud’s rusty trumpet, Evan Shaw’s soulful sax and Joe Sorbara’s shape-shifting drums stand out the most.

Fo’s Picks: Disc I – 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 Disc II – 1, 3, 6, 7

DISC ONE

1. 5:16 – starts slow & open; horns mope for a while, then it really heats up
2. 2:21 – creaky trumpet solo based on #1
3. 12:29 – quiet guitar noodling vs drum rumble; weary horns set up a glum march; solo sax skronk, then all-in; trombone & guitar bring it back
4. 2:47 – just trumpet & drums: slow, lopsided, clomping & wandering
5. 7:30 – sneaky theme falls apart; guitar weaves calmly through improv jungle
6. 2:17 – steady bass solo derived from #1
7. 2:12 – trio: melancholy sax & trumpet brood over grumbling drums
8. 13:35 – rises from near-silence to a thick, bubbling stew (excellent drums!); improv break slides into a wide-open, bass-led reinterpretation of #1
9. 3:06 – low-down, bluesy revision of #4 for trombone, bass & sax
10. 1:48 – solo guitar based on #1, quiet but with rising twitchiness
11. 15:30 – relaxed improv becomes a back-alley crawl; some open trio sections fill out the middle, then group agitation before end theme

DISC TWO

Tracks 1-6 are a suite. #1 stands alone, others lead right into each other.
1. 2:07 – guitar & bass spar quietly, settle into cool stroll, band picks up riff
2. 5:21 – low, sluggish ensemble; sax leads a series of poses, stroll resumes
3. 5:31 – lopes along with guitar; sax adds a bit of blues, trombone wanders
4. 3:02 – chattering horn improv, settles back gradually, and the stroll resumes
5. 7:43 – relaxed sax/bass duet sets up warped ensemble; trombone growl
6. 3:28 – strained trumpet solo slips into a cool little ensemble groove
7. 14:43 – furtive bass/drum intro; horns smear a theme; snappy boppish walk; quiet trumpet/guitar break; slow, drawn-out melody, paranoid guitar

[ Fo ] - 21 April 2013