Samo Salamon, Vasil Hadžimanov & Ra Kalam Bob Moses - Dances of Freedom (Samo Records, 2024)

By Sammy Stein

Dances of Freedom brings together Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon, (Mark Helias, Donny McCaslin, Julian Arguelles, Michel Godard and more) Serbian pianist and composer Vasil Hadzimanov (Vasil Hadzimanov Band, Bace quartet, Matija Dedic and more) and American drummer Ra-Kalam Bob Moses (Roland Kirk, Gary Burton, Pat Metheny, Steve Swallow, Emily Remler, Jack DeJohnette and many more).

Moses and Salamon recorded Pure and Simple with Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen in 2022, so this is another venture for the pair, this time with the renowned musician that is Hadzimanov.

This release features Salamon on electric and acoustic guitars and banjo, Hadzimanov on keyboards and piano, and Moses on drums and percussion.

The music on the album creates many atmospheres, from the mysterious opening of ‘Cream of Freedom’ which then swells and evolves with a background of keyboard harmonies, repeated banjo phrases, and a pleasant sonic cacophony from the percussive theatre in which Moses appears to reside, to the energy of ‘Free Dances’ and ‘Ocean Calimba’

The striking element is how the trio interact and musically feed from each other as if there is an energy that is shared, passing from one to another in an endless rolling journey. ‘Free Dances’ has a depth to it, provided by string effects and the driving percussion but over this is a song, a sighing and wonderment which serves to take the listener in two simultaneous directions. The intricate guitar and percussion dialogue during the second third is interesting and engaging.

The open, spacey sounds of ‘Ocean Calimba’ are worth staying with, despite the ever so slightly irksome key effects, and the beautiful opening of the stand-out ‘Dirty Zone’ soothes and calms the nerves for a short while – until that is, the drums and keys work their way towards a section of contrapuntal rhythms and the energy builds, with the percussive elements driving, pushing, and elevating the track to new heights, particularly when the picked guitar rises from the background to inject even more energy. This is full-on improvised excellence delivered with acuity and aplomb. The track finishes with a calm, soothing phrase just to ensure you don’t quite jump out of your seat.

‘Conga Master’, is stuffed with changing rhythms, while the dark elements are allowed to surface in ‘Morphbed’ to menace and deliver a strangely entrancing moody piece. The album continues in this changeable, interactive way with ‘Pans’ feeling bitty, yet each ‘bit’ is connected and woven into the next piece so it flows but in a different manner to the preceding tracks and ‘Indian Base’ providing intense rhythms and a mesmeric solo from Moses, who keeps the intensity of the rhythm pattern across the track despite the loud phrasings riding across the top.

The final track ‘Hapi May’ has the feeling of a celebration as the three musicians improvise around introduced riffs, themes, and phrases, which randomly introduce themselves, are picked up or passed by and this is a great track to finish an album where three musicians come together to create music that is listenable, relatable and a glorious celebration of improvisation. Different combinations of musicians create very different sounds, and this trio is no exception. This is music like no music before and a unique experience.