«ease & ooze» is the debut album of the Viennese, free-improvising quartet – alto sax player Guido Spannocchi, guitarist and electronics player Martin Siewert (of Radian fame and the duo Also with drummer Katharina Ernst. He also did the mixing and the mastering of this album), electric bass player Gina Schwarz (who leads her Pannonica band) and Brazilian-born drummer Matheus Jardim. These four musicians had had never been in the same room let alone played music together before the recording of this album at Audiomanufaktur Vienna, with no cuts, edits or overdubs.

The music incorporates elements from art-rock, electronics, noise and free jazz. At first, on the opening «Prelude», Siewert sounds like the dominant voice in this quartet, equipped with his charismatic guitar playing and palette of effects, and his thorny playing contrasts the lyrical and reserved one of Spannocchi. Schwarz and Jaedim color this piece with a loose rhythmic basis. The atmosphere becomes more intense and wild on the second piece «Allegro» where the distinct voice of Spannocchi, Siewert, Schwarz and Jardim keeps colliding while sketching this dense and layered soundscape.

Siewert introduces the longest piece «Triple Axie» with a sparse, almost bluesy line, ornaments it with his effects and triggers a playful rhythmic response from Schwarz and Jardim, while Spannocchi offers a more disciplined rhythmic mode. But, eventually, all four musicians settle on a massive pulse and keep reconstructing and deconstructing its rhythmic drive while Siewert spirals it into deep space. The atmospheric vibe deepens on the cinematic and mysterious «Scherzo», gently caressed by the soft sax of Spannocchi. The last piece «Coda» returns full circle to the loose and lyrical, often more sensual and ecstatic vibe of the opening piece.

A promising meeting of strong-minded improvisers.

Eyal Hareuveni

Guido Spannocchi (as), Martin Siewert (g, slide g, ef), Gina Schwarz (el.b, prep el.b), Matheus Jardim (dr)