4 out of 5

Label: Astral Spirits, Monofonus Press

Produced by: Jacek Mazurikiewicz (recorded and mixed by)

This is improv I can get down with.

Elsewhere, in reviews I know you’ve read and loved and reread and loved some more, I’ve spoken about my so-so relationship with improvised music. While I realize one’s enjoyment of any genre or approach is rarely all-inclusive, I tend to approach improv – and maybe specifically jazz improv – with some cynicism, as, to my ears, it can lean towards quite a bit of bloat and indulgence. I accept I’m not appropriately tuned to it; not appreciating the push and pull or subtleties. But when I hear something that really does work for me, it doesn’t expand my horizons: it just makes me double-down on what “good” improv is.

“Live in Warsaw” from saxophonist Liudas Mockunas – here playing Clarinet, Soprano and Tenor Sax – bassist Jacek Mazurkiewicz (also handling electronics), and drummer Hakon Berre – has plenty of time across its three tracks for bloat and indulgence, but what I hear is purpose, both within each song, and across the whole listen. And that’s not “purpose” as in presenting the interweaving of the trio’s abilities as composed works, except in the sense that the three play as a unit, and not a rotating spotlight show of soloists. That’s a bit critical, of course, and can be a key function of improv – giving your bandmates their time to shine – it’s just that I often hear that as I’ve described it: instead of feeling like a cohesive tune, it comes across as a bit (ironically) predictable: okay, I played my part, now it’s your turn. There are focuses here, with opener Elven driven by sax; closer Rzeka very beat heavy; but these moments are parts of the whole. The songs are loose, and organic, and yet incredibly cohesive. They are emotional.

Both of the aforementioned tracks have a similar structure, with loose – practically minimalist, to the point of silence on Elven – playing that takes 7 or 8 minutes to find a place for everyone to join together, after which, those songs soar. Elven is delightfully grooving, with Mockunas’ sax gliding and floating over the air, and the band backing that effortlessly, while Rzeka goes freaking post-rock heavy in its latter half, letting Berre absolutely destroy the percussion. Inbetween, Upé is kind of a breath, somewhat literal in its airy horn playing, but it’s also somewhat drone-y: a constant tone, balanced against the comparative openness of how the other songs start off.

So the whole thing is just balanced. …Except maybe in the recording. While the wind instruments and drumming are studio-clear, ironically, Jacek Mazurikiewicz’s mixing really underplays the bass, to the extent that it almost seems absent at points. You hear it if you’re listening to it, and maybe one could argue that it’s diminishment is “right” since the main songs are driven by the other instruments, but the bass is the meter for the others to jam off of, and I feel like the songs could only be stronger with that upped in the mix.