Causa Efeito – Lisbon, May 23-25, 2024

By David Cristol
Photos by Nuno Martins

On the 50 ^th year of Portugal’s overthrowing of the Salazar dictatorship, it was only logical for the 2^nd edition of the Causa Efeito to choose freedom as its theme. Like the previous year, the concerts unfold on the premises of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. With its combination of key creative figures from Europe and the United States and young talent, this edition was again organized by Pedro Costa, with the help of Clara Rowland, pro-rector of Culture at the faculty.

In addition to premium-quality concerts, this edition pioneered masterclasses from the likes of Tim Berne, Alexander Hawkins and Michael Formanek, that provided food for thought, as well as a book presentation and a Europe Jazz Network gathering.

David Maranha and Manuel Mota

Electric organist David Maranha and electric guitarist Manuel Mota provided the opening act in an unusual venue: the downstairs (empty) garage of the university. The wide, low-ceilinged and windowless space is a perfect setting from their brand of ambient soundscapes, also involving expert foot pedal work. One is tempted to move around the space, were it not the fear of producing disruptive noises. The music unfolds at a snail's pace, presenting some dark and disquieting aspects, through considered and minimal means, between muffled organ sounds and portentous guitar friction, for a reasonably short duration. 

Alexander Hawkins, Michael Formanek, Ricardo Toscano and Tim Berne

Ricardo Toscano, Alexander Hawkins and Michael Formanek had never played together prior to the previous day’s rehearsal and, for a few moments, onstage during the afternoon’s enlightening masterclass. Portugal’s Toscano – the youngest of the trio, on alto sax – and USA’s Formanek on bass share the common language of jazz, while Hawkins, though no stranger to the idiom, comes from a different perspective on the music, which makes it all the more interesting. Their improvisations are swift and flexible, and different modalities of interaction are put to the test: response, opposition, plural proposition, parallel motions, rhythmic deconstruction… Toscano spontaneously veers towards the straight jazz soloing he’s known for, but manages to make it work with what his partners throw at him. Following the afternoon’s talk, we witness the praxis of the art of interaction and of fitting each member's aesthetic personality into a collective context, in real time. The three also play with textures. Hawkins appears as a leader of sorts, coming out with many ideas, which his accomplices either appropriate and develop, or stray from. The next piece seems based on a notion of ​​velocity while still moving in the abstract. Everyone is acutely in the moment, in a paradoxical state of great focus and letting go at the same time. We’re in for a surprise, as Tim Berne shows up, on the same instrument as Toscano. A duo between UK’s Hawkins and the New York alto ensues, the latter rising with delight to the level of challenge set by the pianist. That boosts Toscano’s confidence and allows him to take off, less tentative than before. The set culminates in quartet format, both saxophones either combined or taking turns, with Formanek’s steadily pristine support. 

Fade In

Italian trio Fade In performed music from the album “Live fast, die a legend”. The pieces are composed by bass player Pietro Elia Barcellona and drummer Marco Luparia and have an obsessive quality to them, with precise irregular metrics. The approach is percussive, with broken beats, an ostinato bass, clarinet hiccups courtesy of Federico Calcagno, at times reminiscent of the quartet أحمد [Ahmed]. The same principles are repeated on each successive piece, evoking some machinery of the industrial revolution, trembling with tension, expelling smoke and threatening to fall apart. The trio has been playing this repertoire for years and the cohesion is remarkable. Maybe the whole thing feels too much like a style exercise, the music locked into an immovable set of rules, and the exhilaration of speed that’s implied in the album title and often a temptation that’s hard to resist for young musicians. Let’s wish them a long life on the road to freedom. 

Tim Berne

One of the key characters in forward-looking jazz since the 1980s, Tim Berne has not played alone in twenty years. He’s an artist who loves company, and isn’t fond of extended soloing even in a group context. Berne is standing close to the audience, on the edge of the stage. After a humble, almost self-deprecating introduction, he proceeds to transfix the audience by a sample of his art, as wayward as it is unique. The unamplified glorious sound fills the auditorium. The Snakeoil leader explores the treble register, favors unpredictable turns that take on meaning as they unfold, in sequences that never feel forced, from saturated to velvety emissions and overtones. His research parallels that of reedsman Ivo Perelman, with whom he recorded recently. 

Tim Berne and Michael Formanek

Likewise, pals Berne and Michael Formanek, of Bloodcount fame with Chris Speed, Jim Black and Marc Ducret, hadn’t joined forces as a duo in three decades. This is a happy reunion, and one demanding of our undivided attention; those able to let go of their daily concerns and actively follow the discourse of the two artists are rewarded by musical poetry both complex and accessible, exquisitely played and benefiting from the veterans’ huge respective and shared experience. One for the ages.

Pedro Carneiro and Eduardo Raon

The pairing of Pedro Carneiro on marimba and Eduardo Raon on harp is innovative in several respects. First with an instrumental association that I’m not sure ever happened before in improvised music; secondly with the way the harp in particular is put to use. Virtuoso Carneiro’s demeanor is steeped in the classical music ethos, and his playing is on the demonstrative side. The large instrument certainly calls for ample gestures, even athletic, which may explain the impression of showiness. I had enjoyed his duet with pianist Rodrigo Pinheiro, but in this case, closing my eyes in the darkness of the room, I found the harp playing to be more adventurous and engaging, Raon coaxing yet unheard-of sounds from his instrument, in subdued yet striking fashion. 

Benjamin Duboc and Edward Perraud

Eve Risser performed twice. The trio “En Corps” with fellow French citizens Benjamin Duboc (double bass) and Edward Perraud (drums) has been going on for twelve years, with only one self-titled album released in 2012, and reunions once a year for improvised concerts. Pedro Costa introduces the band, with a focus on Risser whose music grew up from her association with the Clean Feed label. From a cautious start, the impromptu music moves from slow and agile, elegant and sober, to wildly effervescent. Perraud has multiple tools which he feverishly replaces, without even thinking about which one to grab. His heavy gesticulation almost distracts from listening. Between storming drums and unruly piano, the unwavering Duboc maintains the course as a seasoned ship captain, keeping the boat from crashing on the reefs. The clatter and intensity don’t hamper a feeling of continuity, although Perraud’s excesses are responsible for breaking the balance and flow a couple of times. 

Eve Risser

More of Risser on the following day for a solo performance, in the spirit of her Après un rêve album. Audience and artist are facing an upright prepared piano which vertical mechanism is open for everybody to see. Glowing neon lights surround the instrument and help focus our gaze on the device. There are other elements such as a kick drum, and indeed, it all feels akin to a one-person tuned drums orchestra, with polyrhythms, clusters resonant or muted. It connects dots between two of Risser’s poles of attraction: unorthodox improvisation and African music. As inferred by the title, the process feels like a strange and beautiful dream, remote from any jazz reference. A recording of live shows using the same gear and concept was planned for release, but the hard drive got lost. The Lisbon audience however was not deprived of a concert that was at least double the length of the album. And like with Formanek and Berne, it was a privilege getting to hear it from up close.  

The festival appears more appealing to the cognoscenti than to the audience-at-large. Familiar faces from the Lisbon creative music community show up evening after evening to enjoy the concrete utopia of an uncompromising programming. The foundation is rock-solid, and time should cement Causa Efeito’s standing as a choice event for listening, meeting and learning, which, as everyone should know, is actually a lot of fun.