Argentinian, Berlin-based, prolific tenor sax player Camila Nebbia’s debut album with her free improvising working trio, with British, Berlin-based pianist Kit Downes (known for his work with Norma Winstone, Bill Frisell, Petter Eldh, Sun-Mi Hong, and Veslemøy Narvesen) and London-based drummer Andrew Lisle (of Kodian Trio), was recorded live at Morphine Raum in Berlin in 2023. True to its title, the Exhust trio exhausts its quick reflexes and deep listening dynamics as it shapes each of its spontaneous, intense performances, while enjoying its profound, poetic trio’s sound.
Nebbia’s powerful tenor sax voice explores a spectrum of intense moods and vulnerable emotions and drives the trio’s interplay; Downes’ piano playing is less elegant and refined than usual and is more raw and unrestrained, intensifying the rhythmic conversational dynamics with some odd grooves; Lisle hold all together and acts as both a catalyst and anchor, stressing the rhythmic flow and structures, and supports and propels the trio’s intricate interplay. The six pieces suggest complex architectures that embrace contrast and constant transformation through dense and restless collective conversations, with no individual solos. These pieces shift between fractured lyrical themes, clever melodic counterpoint, timbral searches, and richly textured soundscapes. The long pieces «Jetsam» and «Deadblow Hammer» capture this great trio at its best.
rastro o vacío (trace or emptiness) is Nebbia’s fourth solo album, and here she plays the tenor sax and adds spoken word poetry. It was recorded at Mamut Studio and Nebbia’s home studio in Berlin. Nebbia did the cover artwork, and the album was released by Nebbia’s label with Spanish pianist Marta Sanchez and Swiss sax player Maria Kim Grand, Lilaila. The album is dedicated to Nebbia’s women ancestors from her mother’s side, and is an homage to time, devotion, and transformation.
The sixteen concise, poetic instant compositions and the last, 10-minute, enigmatic and effects-laden «Algo que solía conocer que ya no puedo identificar o recordar» (Something I Used to Know That I Can’t Identify or Remember Anymore) address Nebbia’s long-time interests – the creation and destruction of archival memory, exploring the concepts of identity, migration, and memory. Her playing is more restrained, introspective, melodic, and lyrical, and often thoughtfully manipulates the sax overtones. It is a captivating sonic journey through Nebbia’s sonic experiences and explorations, and her most personal memories.
Eyal Hareuveni
Camila Nebbia (tenor saxophone), Kit Downes (piano), Andrew Lisle (drums)
