Lisbon Connection, Elliott Levin, Luis Lopes, Hernani Faustino, Gabriel Ferrandini

Today another good one from some familiar Portuguese avant jazz artists (familiar to me, and to you if you've read my blogs regularly anyway). The album is dubbed Lisbon Connection (Jacc Records).

On it is a quartet of very simpatico instrumental voices we've heard from a good deal, together in varying couplings and with others: there's Elliot Levin, on tenor, flute and voice, an extroverted, impassioned reed proponent with plenty to say; Luis Lopes, an electric guitarist with an excellent sense of extended sound possibilities and an unpredictable sense of interesting line and cluster possibilities; Hernani Faustino, a bassist with a full arsenal of techniques, a rich tone and consistently good ideas; and Gabriel Ferrandini, an adventurous world-class drummer with a guaranteed ability to enhance any session he is on.

This is intricate, full-blown free interaction of the highest caliber, a counterpoint of sound color, energy and soulfulness, some free jazz exemplary of  the lively Portuguese scene. There are spots for solo, duet, trio and full quartet, with some playfully effective expressionist poetry from Elliott.

If you do not know what's going on in Portugal these days (and there is a lot) this is a very good example of the free jazz end of the spectrum. There are some new music improvisational players too, but you can find that elsewhere on these pages. Anyone who knows these artists will appreciate them in great form here. Or even if you don't.

And so I do recommend this one to you. Sit back and let it unfold before your ears. Bravo!