Italy-born and Stockholm-based reeds player Alberto Pinton's new quartet is called Noi Siamo - 'We are' in Italian - a name that echoes the conscious-confident titles of Ornette Coleman's classic quartet albums. The title of this Noi Siamo debut album, Resiliency, and the title of the opening piece, “Krigarens Väg” (The Warrior’s Way in Swedish) suggest even more about the spirit of Pinon’s music. Now few will be surprised to know that Pinton is also an experienced marathon runner.
Resiliency is only Pinton's ninth album as a leader (though his discography encompasses about sixty recordings as a sideman). Recorded live at the famed Glenn Miller Café in Stockholm on July 2015, is features Pinton alternating between baritone sax, bass clarinet and clarinet. His quartet is comprised by trumpet player Niklas Barnö, known from the groups Suis!, Snus,and Mats Gustafsson’s a Fire! Orchestra; double bass player Torbjörn Zetterberg, who has collaborated before with Pinton in his Quintet, the Dog Out quartet and Zetterberg’s group Och Den Stora Frågan, and drummer Konrad Agnas.
Pinton wrote all of the six compositions. The 18-minutes “Krigarens Väg” and the extended “Magnetism” and “Kapten K” captures faithfully the urgent and powerful intensity of this quartet. These loose pieces dwell between the post-bop and the fiery free jazz of the late sixties territories but without subscribing to any form or convention. Pinton and Barnö keep exchanging commanding, muscular solos, pushed by the restless, fast-shifting rhythm section of Zetterberg and Agnas. Pinton's charismatic voice on the bass clarinet on “Magnetism” sounds like an inspired transformation of Eric Dolphy's innovative sound on that instrument. The intimate, open-ended duo of Pinton and Barnö on “Tangible-Intangible” emphasizes even further the telepathic interplay both have developed. Later their conversational solos on “Lacy and the beautiful ballad “L’Aquilone” goes even deeper.
Great performance, great quartet.
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