Soundbridges - The Red and the Blue (Idyllic Noise, 2024)

By Martin Schray

Soundbridges are a German-American quartet consisting of Ken Vandermark (saxophone, clarinet), Matthias Muche (trombone), Thomas Lehn (synthesizer) and Martin Blume (drums). The Red and the Blue is their second album, following their self-titled debut . As on that album, the name says it all: it’s about the combination of different playing styles of improvised music, be it dynamic free jazz outbursts, calm, quieter passages, humoresque parts or sound explorations in the collective or in trios, duets and solos. The band allows all of this to flow into one another as if it belonged together (which it actually does, of course).

The album presents a 40-minute concert, recorded at Alte Gerberei, St. Johann in Austria, March 5, 2023. The quartet gets off to a powerful start, Muche sets a low note for the others to circle around. This is the theme of the start of the set: Everyone deposits a scent mark in the ring, then a structure is found. It’s already apparent here that they also like to use melodies and small riffs before the musical structure becomes more abstract again. The first duet between Blume and Vandermark, which Lehn and Muche steal into, is the first sign of what is to come. A crazy back and forth, concise solos by the wind players, Thomas Lehn’s airy pads and Martin Blume’s precise, sparse rhythmic accents are the collective elements that everything boils down to and from which everything ultimately emanates. Here we have a first moment of almost absolute silence, the synthesizer sounds like a breeze, over which Muche then lets his trombone bang, while Blume’s drums drone darkly underneath. This is broken up by Vandermark’s clarinet, whose tender melody adds a beautiful jazz element to the whole. The end of the first part has a typical, repetitive Vandermark motif in the center, which offers the opportunity to set a proper ending, from which you can begin anew.

The second part also starts wildly in a collective improvisation before the instruments drift apart. Lehn’s synthesizer sounds really psychedelic here, then it pushes past the others to open up the sonic possibilities of the room (with the support of very restrained drums and trombone). At this moment, Muche takes over for an intense solo, which again ends almost unnoticed in a collective effort. Finally, like every excellent album/set, the climax comes at the end. However, this is not - as one might expect - a wild free jazz bolting, but the exact opposite. Quiet, concentrated, subtle, even tender minutes of searching (and finding) beauty in the dissonance of the music. This is the moment when you just want to indulge.

The Red and the Blue is like flying in a glider. Catapult-like, you are shot directly to enormous heights, where you fight with whirlwinds, at times the updrafts even take you beyond the clouds - before you lose height and the turbulence continue. You can enjoy magnificent views of the world before gently approaching the end of a fascinating flight. It’s a wonderful experience.

The Red and the Blue is available on vinyl.