Ingo Weiss: saxophones, live electronics; Peter Stock: contrabass; Kuno Wagner: drums, percussion, guitar, electronic devices
This may sound aberrant to those who reckon the sanative puissance of trademark free-jazz blasts (I myself belong there) but, quite often, an accurate repartition of the audio width paired with an unflawed lucidity of exposition pay dividends in an improvisational quandary. Enter the Peter Stock Trio, led by an artist who not only has shared the stage with relevant chieftains (he himself is a master double bassist) but in the late period of his calling has found new transport – accomplishing excellent results for that – via the reconsideration of some of the rules underlying a pragmatic resistance to clichés. Consider, for example, that all but one track shaping Third Stroke last ten to fifteen minutes; yet, by listening to them we get an impression of self-conscious agreement to a healthful treatment rather than experiencing the quintessential continuance of glances at the elapsing time on the player.
The timbral range is made richer by a stone-sober use of electronics, however the communicative kernel is entirely in the musicians’ hands and brains. In that sense, a terrific darkish episode is titled “Start Thinking Fast”, and there is no uncertainty about its pregnant acoustic traits overcoming the large part of whatever derivation of “lowercase” one might run into nowadays. This is particularly valid when the instruments unveil outward-developing ramifications in an unresolved gestural environment totally deprived of frigidity, three-voice remarks that can suddenly become clangorous or just stay composed, still looking way forward. Another slight departure from formulaic paths can be located in the concluding “Weedy Reap”, identified by an appealing reciprocity between string-derived sonorities, intangible suggestions propagating from the electronic gadgetry and the serenely divergent disclosures of the saxophone. As you can see, quoting the single instrumentalists on their respective means of expression is not necessary, for this troika genuinely works as a persevering intelligent organism capable of inducing unagitated magnetism through the fine art of restraint and coolness, even at fairly climactic junctures. Non-turbulence prevails, at least today.
MASSIMO RICCI. TOUCHING EXTREMES. 