The musical adventures of Gonçalo Almeida

 By Stef Gijssels

Every year, Sergio Piccirilli of the Argentinian jazz website "El Intruso" asks 60 jazz critics from around the world to make their lists of top musicians and top albums. We are very privileged to be represented by several of our "Free Jazz Collective" reviewers: Sammy Stein, Paul Acquaro, Eyal Hareuveni, Stuart Broomer and myself. This was the 17th iteration of the international list, and I can agree with many of the final artists reaching the rankings. 

This task of selecting the best of each is of course almost impossible for any reviewer, and I think we all share the sentiment that we cannot do justice to the great musicians and ensembles that do not make the list. The assessment is very subjective of course, possibly influenced too by the mood of the moment. 

In my list, Portuguese double bass player Gonçalo Almeida, is ranked on the first spot as the 'musician of the year'. I will tell you why here. 

I'll start with the music that we already reviewed in the past year. 

First, there is The Attic's latest album "La Grande Crue" (No Business, 2024), with Rodrigo Amado, Onno Govaert and Eve Risser, and with Almeida on bass. The album received excellent reviews and made many end-of-year lists. The album was reviewed by Stuart Broomer and can be found here. 

From my side, I reviewed "Tabula Sonorum Organum - Sub Aere" (Cylinder, 2024), a highly unusual duet between Bart van Dongen on organ, and Gonçalo Almeida on double bass. You can find the review here. 

My favourite album of the year was "States of Restraint" (Clean Feed, 2024), a strange, adventurous, genre-bending and avant-gardish sound exploration with Susana Santos Silva and Gustavo Costa. You can find my review here. 

Almeida is also a member of the Luis Vicente Trio which delivered their excellent sophomore album "Come Down Here" (Clean Feed, 2024). You can find my review here. 

So here are the not yet reviewed albums. 

Gonçalo Almeida & Pierre Bastien - Dialogues and Shadows (Futura Resistenza, 2024)

The album is a co-created soundscape with French sound artist and instrument builder Pierre Bastien, whom we reviewed earlier on this blog, also in collaboration with Almeida. This album is even better than the first one, more mature, less focused on effects and more on the music itself. It's eery and compelling at the same time. Mesmerising and strange. You hear a whole world of sounds with somewhat familiar sonic bites coming from unidentifiable instruments.  Don't miss this one.

Albatre – Bruxas (Shhpuma, 2024)

After six years, we get a new album by the doom jazz trio Albatre, the brainchild of Gonçalo Almeida on bass, keyboards & electronics, Hugo Costa on alto sax, baritone sax & effects, and Philipp Ernsting on drums & electronics. This is not for the faint of heart, yet it is smart and meticulously organised, with frequent rhythm changes, different accents and sonic colouring. The jazz version of death metal (or something to that extent: I get totally lost in all these 'metal' subgenres). This is as violent as other of Almeida's endeavours are gentle. The title "Bruxas" is Portuguese for witches. Don't say I did not warn you ...

Carla Santana, José Lencastre, Maria Do Mar, Gonçalo Almeida - Defiant Illusion (New Wave Of Jazz, 2024)

 

This album is also quite exceptional. We've already mentioned Carla Santana's work on electronics with the "Variable Geometry Orchestra" and the "Isotope Ensemble". Here is a rare album with her as a leader, in the company of José Lencastre on alto and tenor sax, Maria do Mar on violin and Gonçalo Almeida on double bass. This gentle chamber music is surprising and beautiful at the same time. Apart from the rather unique sound of the ensemble, the interaction between the violin and the arco bass are exceptional, with José Lencastre finding the right level to add to it - and even becoming a string instrument almost. Santana's own electronics are never obtrusive yet fully harmonic with the overall sound. Highly recommended. 

Gonçalo Almeida & Rutger Zuydervelt - Eventual (Gusstaff Records 2024)

"Eventual" is the third release by the duo of Almeida on bass and Zuydervelt on electronics. The latter was asked to create the soundtrack for a documentary, and invited Almeida to join. Even if the music was eventually not used, both musicians continued their creative collaboration. This is their first full CD. In start contrast to some of the other albums reviewed here, the sound is quiet, dark, drone-like with the bass exclusively played with a bow. It's a single track, that evolves minimalistically around one tonal center, with minor shifts in timbre and colour. 

Almeida & Jacquemyn - Encounters (FMR, 2024) 

"Encounters" is a double bass duo with Belgian Peter Jacquemyn, who is also a chainsaw sculptor. The music fits in the tradition of Peter Kowald on bass, a direct physical yet intimate dialogue of two musicians who challenge and celebrate each other's playing. Almost the entire album is played arco. 

Dávila, Almeida, Furtado - Illusions and Lamentations (Phonogram Unit, 2024) 

The trio of Pacho Dávila from Colombia on tenor and soprano saxophones, with Portuguese Vasco Furtado on drums and Almeida on bass gives us a pretty straightforward free jazz trio. The quality of the playing is excellent, with constant good quality and all three musicians in great shape. 

 

Bulliphant - Sleep (Off Record, 2024)

Almeida also performs in the Belgian-Dutch quintet Bulliphant. The other musicians are Bart Maris on trumpets, Ruben Verbruggen on saxophones, Thijs Troch on piano & electronics, and Friso van Wijck on percussion & bells. Like its predecessor "Hightailing", the album presents a mix of modern jazz styles, creative and welcoming, but with in my opinion not enough musical coherence. 

Spinifex – Undrilling the Hole (TryTone Records, 2024)

"Spinifex" is Dutch band led by alto saxophonist Tobias Klein, with Bart Maris on trumpet, John Dikeman on tenor, Jasper Stadhouders on guitar, Gonçalo Almeida on bass, and Philipp Moser on drums. This is already their eleventh album together. The music can be categorised as modern creative jazz, with very strong compositions, great unison themes, tight arrangements, steady rhythms and rhythm changes, and great musicianship, also in the improvised solos. Definitely not free jazz, yet great fun to listen to. 

In sum, Gonçalo Almeida is not only an excellent bass player - and we're really not surprised he's so much in demand in various ensembles and styles - he's especially versatile and creative in developing totally different languages of expression. "States of Restraint" has a relatively unique sound, something special and precious, but so does "Sub Aere", with its unusual duet of organ and bass, the mesmerising collaboration with Pierre Bastien, or the chamber jazz with Carla Santana. Each time Almeida is in the (co)-lead in shaping something new, and sometimes with contradictory and opposite approachers. The quiet contemplative sound of "Eventual" is almost the exact opposite of the doom jazz of Albatre. He shows himself to be a creator, an inventive adventurer, presenting us with sounds unheard, with novel approaches and interesting surprises. Many other musicians have been very prolific in 2024, but none with the same reach and innovation as Almeida. He's not only a searcher, but also a finder, not only a researcher but also a discoverer. Hence my choice.