By Jonathan Brokenbrow
The new release on Passin’ Thru Records
shows the perfect subtleties and energy that can be achieved between a leading free
jazz saxophonist and one of the most exciting contemporary classical quartets at
present.
Oliver Lake has an impressive solo output,
as well as being a founding member of Trio 3 and The World Saxophone Quartet. His
back catalogue has shown him to be a consistent and invigorating force within
jazz and the new release doesn’t show any sign of him slowing down. Right Up On is a beautifully crafted
collection of Lake’s compositions for string quartet, with Lake only present himself on 3 of the albums tracks (5 sisters, Hey Now Hey and Disambiguate).
The presence of Lake on only 3 of the albums tracks allows the Quartet to
interpret free jazz and improvisation within the realms and context of a
contemporary string quartet.
The exploratory nature of the Flux Quartet
(Tom Chiu, Conrad Harris, Max Mandell and Felix Fan) is something that has
aided them throughout their career. Their back catalogue is a rich and varied
curation, including highly praised performances of Morton Feldman’s string
quartet compositions, and a list of collaborative artists that show their
diverse musical interest. Right Up On shows the skill that the quartet
possess and reveals the opportunity for further exercise between the
contemporary classical and free jazz spheres.
The Flux Quartet sound throughout the
recording that they are immersed and excited by the music they are playing. On
a personal note, one of the aspects I love about jazz music in its broadest
terms is the passion of the players. No group of musicians look or sound as if
they are having as much fun performing as a collection of jazz players who are
completely lost in the music. Through the quartets performance of Lake’s
composition the players have indeed found this thrill.
Oliver Lake – Auto Sax
Tom Chiu – Violin
Conrad Harris – Violin
Max Mandell – Viola
Felix Fan – Cello
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