Mata Natsu (また夏) is a Japanese expression that translates to «another summer» or «summer again», often used to express a sense of nostalgia, longing, or anticipation for the return of summer. Mata Natsu is also the debut duo album of Argentine, Buenos Aires-based alto and tenor sax player Jorge Torrecillas and pianist and harmonium player Mario Mocho, who have been playing together for years in various local groups, mainly in the free jazz scene. The album was recorded at Estudio Libres in Buenos Aires in October 2025.
The eleven short, intimate pieces are titled in Japanese and offer themes inspired by various natural phenomena such as rain, wind, snow, and more. Mata Natsu is a journey throughout the changing, natural seasons and the seasonal emotional states of mind, but also a free improvised musical journey of two kindred souls. The music flows organically, relying on a patient exploration of extended breathing techniques and playing inside the piano with objects to suggest surprisingly resonant textures and evocative, cinematic images. Mocho and Torrecillas employ spontaneous improvisations as a means to structure instant, intriguing, and imaginative compositions. This album cements the exploratory, poetic, and deep listening dynamics of Mocho and Torrecillas, using sparse sounds and gesture to sketch spacious – literally – strokes on a delicate musical canvas.
Physis refers to the ancient Greek philosophical concept of «nature» or the innate principle of growth and development. Maybe this is the reason why Torrecillas’ free improvising trio (often titled as the Improvised Music Trio) with fellow Argentine double bass player and vocalist Pablo Vázquez and drummer Marcelo von Schultz released its third album on the Greek label Plus Timbre, which offers its digital-only releases with the name-your-price policy. The album was recorded at the same studio where Torrecillas recorded Mata Natsu, Estudio Libres in Buenos Aires in February 2025. This egalitarian trio explores different dynamics, from free jazz to polyrhythmic jazz to sound-oriented textures, with generous space for individual solos, an organic, playful flow of the music, but with no attachment to any specific strategy.
Eyal Hareuveni
Mario Mocho (piano, harmonium), Jorge Torrecillas (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone), Pablo Vázquez (double bass, vocals), Marcelo von Schultz (drums)
