Polish, Malmö-based trumpeter Tomasz Dąbrowski took his Danish quartet Free4Arts in June 2017 to an abandoned factory in the countryside of Funen Island in Denmark to record its sophomore album (following «Six Months and Ten Drops», Barefoot, 2015). The quartet – baritone sax player Sven Dam Meinild, guitarist Simon Krebs (who replaced pianist Jacob Anderskov) and drummer Kasper Tom, needed such an open, post-industrial surroundings to unleash its powerful sound.

The prolific Dąbrowski is known for his rich jazz language and subtle elegance of his playing. He has played with Alexander von Schlippenbach’s Globe Unity Orchestra, Polish trumpeter Tomasz Stańko, American drummer Tyshawn Sorey and Danish percussionist Marilyn Mazur and led several of his own groups. The new line-up of Free4Arts opens new horizons for Dąbrowski, allowing his music and the Free4Arts interplay to become more free, edgy and aggressive.

The addition of Krebs to Free4Arts injects a sharp, non-linear edge and a sense of subversive tension to the music, contrasting the melodic, well-crafted and often poetic solos of Dąbrowski and Dam Meinild. Krebs aggressive, dirty tone forces Dąbrowski and Dam Meinild to stretch into a conflictual interplay on «Pegleg» and opens the interplay completely on «I Have No Idea» and «Pulse for Me», all are anchored by Kasper Tom powerful drumming. The title-piece explains why Dąbrowski insisted on a post-industrial space to realize the full potential of Free4Arts. This quartet just begins to explore its potential, still playing with great elegance but now spiced with rusty grit.

Eyal Hareuveni

Tomasz Dąbrowski (tp), Sven Dam Meinild (bs), Simon Krebs (g), Kasper Tom (dr)