Sparks and Vision: Teis Semey Quintet / Evi Filippou & Robert Lucaciu

By Paul Acquaro

To be clear, the Sparks and Vision festival in Regensburg, Germany is not a free-jazz festival. Rather, held over three days in the charming Regensburg theater, the festival brought together a diverse set of musical artists covering such a wide breadth of musical styles that only the term "jazz," in an expansive definition, could apply. While it would not make sense here to describe the meticulously crafted electric folk of GANNA, the innuendo laden effusiveness of Kadri Voorand, or the gentle interplay of jazz vocalist Norma Winstone and pianist Kit Downes, there were two acts that do: the progressive jazz of the Teis Semey Quintet and sympathetic duo of Evi Filippou & Robert Lucaciu.

Teis Semey Quintet. Photo by Elmar Petzold.

Danish guitarist and composer Teis Semey first came to my attention a little while back with the release of his recording Mean Mean Machine. The album, which has aesthetically a punk rock looking cover, is actually not punk rock sounding, rather it contains 45 minutes of compelling compositions and spirited playing. Echoing this 2021 recording, the band came out on the opening night of the festival in coordinated black and red clothing (like the album artwork) and looking ready to make a ruckus. They then proceeded to charm the hell out the audience with a mix of kinetic, somewhat knotty, and mostly high energy tunes. The guitar sound initially was reminiscent of late 1970s John Abercrombie. With a lightly distorted and edgy tone and see-sawing tension, the guitarist built a musical structure that served well as scaffolding for the two saxophonists. First, alto player José Soares ratcheted up the tension in dialog with Semey, then tenor player Jesse Schilderink came in and swept up the rest of the notes. Then, just as one may have thought, "ah ha, they're going to punk it up now," they pulled back. A sublime transition and exchange of syncopated lines expose the sophistication of the compositions, and bassist Jort Terwijn and drummer Giovanni Iacovella kept the group firmly on the line between a straight-ahead modern jazz pulse and some sudden twists and turns.

The group at the festival was slightly different than the one on Mean Mean Machine, which makes sense, that was 2021 and somehow, it's now 2024, but regardless, the album is worth a mention as well. Instead of the double saxophone line up, the tenor sax spot was handled by trumpeter Alistair Payne, and it makes a difference. Payne's playing on the recording is melodic and cutting, sometimes shadowing Temey's melodies, sometimes countering them, and while the two saxophonists do similar, they do so with somewhat fuzzier, reedier texture. Some tracks that stand out are the opener "Sun Song," which begins with punchy syncopation and leads to even punchier solos, and the closer "Tragedie," which features the guitarist's quick intensity and excellent interplay between the sax and bass.

Robert Lucaciu & Evi Filippou. Photo by peterhundert.com for Sparks & Visions.

On the Sunday morning, Berlin based vibraphonist Evi Filippou and bassist Robert Lucaciu began the first of two matinee concerts with a perfectly fitting set of music. They opened slowly, as befits a Sunday morning, with a song penned by Lucaciu that began with gently flowing melody from the vibraphone. This was followed soon thereafter with Filippo ringing tiny bells and applying a bow to the bars of her instrument. creating an eddying pool of ringing over tones. The arc of the set was rather perfectly crafted, from the easing in of the first tune to the energetic free improvisation in the middle, and then at the end a return to form but with a bit more power. 

Walking out of the theater towards the foyer, a quick sampling of opinions after the set pointed to particularly satisfied public. So, while there is no recording yet for Filippou and Lucaciu, when it does materialize, if it can capture the spirit of what had just transpired on the stage, it should be quite the aural treat.