Stephen Haynes _ cornetta
Damon Smith _ contrabbasso
Matt Crane _ batteria _ percussione
Jeff Platz _ chitarra

Un super quartetto che non ha bisogno di introduzione!!
Per maggiori informazioni:
http://stephenhaynes.blogspot.com
https://www.balancepointacoustics.com/damon-smith
https://www.discogs.com/artist/562078-Matt-Crane
http://jeffplatz.com

"(...) Uno dei modi con cui si manifesta la saggezza produttiva di Stefano Giust è quello di tenere anche una finestra aperta sull'universo improvvisativo statunitense. Search versus Re-Search è, infatti, il titolo di un cd del quartetto rinnovato dal chitarrista Jeff Platz, il cui merito è quello di aver costruito aggregazioni professionali di musicisti nel rispetto di una visione improvvisativa che tenta di aggiornare concetti venuti fuori sessanta anni fa. Attorno a Platz, ci sono molti artisti, giovani e meno giovani, che la storia dell'improvvisazione la fanno in maniera silente e Platz ha trasferito spesso le sue competenze anche in Europa, grazie ai proficui rapporti con istituzioni musicali, festivals ed improvvisatori tedeschi ed italiani (da noi con Succi, Sacha Caiani, Delvo). Assieme a Stephen Haynes (insegnante, allievo di Dixon, specialista della tromba e della cornetta), Damon Smith (contrabbasso passato attraverso la lente di Kowald, l'American Jungle Orchestra di Eneidi ed una serie interminabile di collaborazioni importanti) e Matt Crane (invero per me una sorpresa alle percussioni), Platz incorpora una visione consolidata dell'improvvisazione libera, quella che raccoglie la creatività nei suoi rivoli e mette in risalto le potenzialità espressive dei singoli musicisti. Non c'è un modo più "crudo" per verificare le capacità improvvisative di un artista, se non quello di regalargli uno spazio di libertà in cui deve condividerla con altri improvvisatori: c'è qualcuno che non sopporta partners occasionali, altri che invece cercano ampie condivisioni e Platz probabilmente è più incline alla seconda categoria. In questo cd suoni quasi segreti e ricercati (grazie a sordina, modalità kitchen sound, estensioni e tecniche senza grammatica) compongono un ottimo quadro d'assieme, dove ognuno non ha un compito prevalente, ma la cui perizia democratica permette di soddisfare l'esigenza di una musica completamente aliena alle pastoie musicali del mondo, in grado di regalarci atmosfere e luoghi di destinazione totalmente vincolate alle fecondità istantanea di menti che possiedono il dono di saperle coniugare (vedi quanto succede in Midnight and Noon)." Ettore Garzia, Percorsi Musicali, 2019.

"(...) This is a New England-based quartet with members from different places. Recently I caught a trio with Stephen Haynes, Ben Stapp & Joe Morris which was strong but pretty out! Former Bay area bassist Damon Smith moved to Texas and recently relocated to Boston. No Doubt you recognize his name from his work with Henry Kaiser (Plane Crash Trio & Quintet), Sandy Ewen and John Butcher. Guitarist Jeff Platz generally plays here at DMG at least once a year and sends us discs from different sessions: mostly Boston-based players plus Daniel Carter & Blaise Siwula. Drummer Matt Crane is the one name here I don’t recognize readily although he has worked with Rich Rosenthal.
The music here sounds free yet focused. The quartet does a good job of bending their notes together, stretching certain notes in swirls and tight fragments. Mr. Platz rarely if ever plays his guitar with very few recognizable jazz licks. The quartet sounds like they are starting to rock out on “Gather and Knit”, which has a sort-of tribal beat midway through.
What I like about this date is this: it is cerebral, never very loud, almost like a dream in which things float by but never abruptly. As this disc evolves, the quartet slowly become more familiar with each others playing, different combinations of the players weave in and out of each others way. On the first half, Mr. Haynes works with some lower-case, breath like sounds, while later on he erupts in occasional bursts as Mr. Platz weaves layers of lines or fractured sounds around the other members of the quartet.
This is a solid (group effort) date with little or no grandstanding." Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery, 2019.

"(...) Search? Oui. Le trompettiste Stephen Haynes était un élève très doué du génial Bill Dixon. Rien que le premier morceau de cet album, au bord du silence, est un véritable morceau d’anthologie. Le trompettiste fait éclater le son de l’embouchure, le contrebassiste Damon Smith fait vibrer les cordes avec délectation sur une ou deux notes, le percussionniste Matt Crane ajoute quelques friselis frémissants de cymbale et le guitariste Jeff Platz frictionne sa guitare trafiquée avec un zeste d’énergie Bonshō. Le quartet ne joue pas les facilités et assume complètement l’acte d’improviser dans les moindres recoins de leur configuration instrumentale, somme toute conventionnelle. Tous ceux qui ont été séduits par les audaces de Leo Smith à la grande époque et qui se passionnent pour le travail de Nate Wooley, Frantz Hautzinger, Jean-Luc Capozzo ou Peter Evans, se doivent d’écouter attentivement Stephen Haynes, un trompettiste amoureux du son. Il nous révèle le son, le timbre, les couleurs, les accents, la qualité du silence, évoquant sa grande imagination mélodique avec une économie de moyens. Pas de chapelets de notes pétaradant ou d’effets tape à l’œil dans les suraigus. Haynes fait plus qu’évoquer Dixon, il en est digne. Le jeu subtil et précautionneux de Smith fait encore monter le niveau, créant une belle empathie. On dira de même pour Jeff Platz que je viens de découvrir ici. Le batteur laisse de grands moments d’ouverture dans lequel son silence et son jeu détaillé et minimaliste laisse les timbres des trois autres instrumentistes s’épanouir pleinement et étirer leurs improvisations au delà le temps. Ici le rythme et le son se rejoignent, Quand la musique vient à s’agiter un peu (Study for Selvedge), c’est avec une belle efficacité. Un album intéressant du jazz libre qui évite poncifs et certitudes. Un esprit de recherche bienvenu." Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, Onyx-Improv'andsound, 2019.

"(...) Een duidelijke titel die perfect past bij het motto van het Italiaanse label dat sinds 1993 onconventionele muziekjes op de mensheid loslaat. Bijna een uur lang leidt dit kwartet improvisators uit Boston de luisteraar door een wondere en vooral broze tuin van intimistische taferelen.
Aan de hand van enkele basklanken, vervormde blaasgeluiden, schuifelende borsteltjes en gitaargeknars etaleren de vier in de openingstrack de basisprincipes volgens dewelke ze te werk gaan. Elke gestage geluidsverschuiving gebeurt met uiterste omzichtigheid, net als kirie-experten die de meest kunstzinnige papierwerken uitknippen met engelengeduld.
Af en toe komt het dan toch tot een lichte volumepiek zoals tijdens het stukje tribal drumming in ‘Gather and Knit’. In ‘Midnight and Noon’ zijn het de gitaarperikelen van Platz die de concentratie in het klankenlaboratorium eventjes uit evenwicht brengen. Aan zijn zijde Haynes die hier eveneens het gamma van klankspeculaties uitbreidt met zijn cornet (al dan niet met sourdine). In ‘Study for Selvedge’ is het wederom Platz die, met de hulp van contrabassist Smith, het woordje “re-search” uit de titel extreem verklankt. ‘Movement for Quartet’ is een grande finale als een catharsis. Enkel in ‘Indigo’ duiken een aantal meer toegankelijke herkenningspunten op voor wie vertrouwd is met vastomlijnde structuren waar ook een vorm van melodie in zit.
Geen curiositeitenkabinet maar de doorgedreven zoektocht van vier geluidscontortionisten die de mogelijkheden van avant-gardistische acoustics aftasten." Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'halo, 2019.

"(...) Unusually constituted for Jazz group, in that it features cornet, guitar, bass and drums, this Rhode Island-based cooperative ensemble continues to fabricate is own identity by calling on the skills of each member. Veterans all, the group consists of cornetist Stephen Haynes, who has worked with Joe Morris and William Parker, guitarist Jeff Platz, who has an association with Daniel Carter among many others; bassist Damon Smith, whose playing partners range from Weasel Walter to Joe McPhee; and percussionist Matt Crane , who worked his way from Punk Rock to Free Jazz.
With the nearly 15-minute “Midnight and Noon”, Search Versus Re-search is also the closest there is to a Haynes showcase. Exposing his inner Bubber Miley, the muted cornetist’s emotional cries are buttressed by expressive fills from the string players that include a bowed interlude from Smith, as plunger echoes are squeezed repeatedly from the horn, with the relaxed motif finally shattered with a snarling capillary ostinato as drum brush work and guitar string hand taps mark time. The brass player’s flighty smears can involve broader contrasts, as on “Indigo”, where his widening staccato runs contrast markedly with the slower paced and reflective exposition. Mellowing stops and sweeps from Smith finally resolve the musical contradiction. On the other hand all four can unite for a super-fast, crunching narrative as on the concluding “Study for Selvedge” where shards of yowling brass notes fly every which way alongside wood-rendering double bass swipes to combine with Platz’s distorted frails and Crane’s tick-tocks for a polyphonic climax.
With programs that distinctively synthesize outer-space-like sonic exploration and down-to-earth density, this Rhode Island four have created the most notable instrumental mix of that sort since Art Farmer and Jim Hall led a band with Steve Swallow and Walter Perkins. Yet by cutting themselves off from familiar material, the members’ achievement is even more significant." Ken Waxman, Jazzword, 2019.

01 _ Bonshō
02 _ Gather and Knit
03 _ Midnight and Noon
04 _ Study for Selvedge
05 _ Indigo
06 _ Movement for Quartet

(C) + (P) 2018

Stephen Haynes _ cornet
Damon Smith _ double bass
Matt Crane _ drums _ percussion
Jeff Platz _ guitar

A super quartet that needs no introduction!!
For more information:
http://stephenhaynes.blogspot.com
https://www.balancepointacoustics.com/damon-smith
https://www.discogs.com/artist/562078-Matt-Crane
http://jeffplatz.com

"(...) This is a New England-based quartet with members from different places. Recently I caught a trio with Stephen Haynes, Ben Stapp & Joe Morris which was strong but pretty out! Former Bay area bassist Damon Smith moved to Texas and recently relocated to Boston. No Doubt you recognize his name from his work with Henry Kaiser (Plane Crash Trio & Quintet), Sandy Ewen and John Butcher. Guitarist Jeff Platz generally plays here at DMG at least once a year and sends us discs from different sessions: mostly Boston-based players plus Daniel Carter & Blaise Siwula. Drummer Matt Crane is the one name here I don’t recognize readily although he has worked with Rich Rosenthal.
The music here sounds free yet focused. The quartet does a good job of bending their notes together, stretching certain notes in swirls and tight fragments. Mr. Platz rarely if ever plays his guitar with very few recognizable jazz licks. The quartet sounds like they are starting to rock out on “Gather and Knit”, which has a sort-of tribal beat midway through.
What I like about this date is this: it is cerebral, never very loud, almost like a dream in which things float by but never abruptly. As this disc evolves, the quartet slowly become more familiar with each others playing, different combinations of the players weave in and out of each others way. On the first half, Mr. Haynes works with some lower-case, breath like sounds, while later on he erupts in occasional bursts as Mr. Platz weaves layers of lines or fractured sounds around the other members of the quartet.
This is a solid (group effort) date with little or no grandstanding." Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery, 2019.

"(...) Unusually constituted for Jazz group, in that it features cornet, guitar, bass and drums, this Rhode Island-based cooperative ensemble continues to fabricate is own identity by calling on the skills of each member. Veterans all, the group consists of cornetist Stephen Haynes, who has worked with Joe Morris and William Parker, guitarist Jeff Platz, who has an association with Daniel Carter among many others; bassist Damon Smith, whose playing partners range from Weasel Walter to Joe McPhee; and percussionist Matt Crane , who worked his way from Punk Rock to Free Jazz.
With the nearly 15-minute “Midnight and Noon”, Search Versus Re-search is also the closest there is to a Haynes showcase. Exposing his inner Bubber Miley, the muted cornetist’s emotional cries are buttressed by expressive fills from the string players that include a bowed interlude from Smith, as plunger echoes are squeezed repeatedly from the horn, with the relaxed motif finally shattered with a snarling capillary ostinato as drum brush work and guitar string hand taps mark time. The brass player’s flighty smears can involve broader contrasts, as on “Indigo”, where his widening staccato runs contrast markedly with the slower paced and reflective exposition. Mellowing stops and sweeps from Smith finally resolve the musical contradiction. On the other hand all four can unite for a super-fast, crunching narrative as on the concluding “Study for Selvedge” where shards of yowling brass notes fly every which way alongside wood-rendering double bass swipes to combine with Platz’s distorted frails and Crane’s tick-tocks for a polyphonic climax.
With programs that distinctively synthesize outer-space-like sonic exploration and down-to-earth density, this Rhode Island four have created the most notable instrumental mix of that sort since Art Farmer and Jim Hall led a band with Steve Swallow and Walter Perkins. Yet by cutting themselves off from familiar material, the members’ achievement is even more significant." Ken Waxman, Jazzword, 2019.

"(...) Een duidelijke titel die perfect past bij het motto van het Italiaanse label dat sinds 1993 onconventionele muziekjes op de mensheid loslaat. Bijna een uur lang leidt dit kwartet improvisators uit Boston de luisteraar door een wondere en vooral broze tuin van intimistische taferelen.
Aan de hand van enkele basklanken, vervormde blaasgeluiden, schuifelende borsteltjes en gitaargeknars etaleren de vier in de openingstrack de basisprincipes volgens dewelke ze te werk gaan. Elke gestage geluidsverschuiving gebeurt met uiterste omzichtigheid, net als kirie-experten die de meest kunstzinnige papierwerken uitknippen met engelengeduld.
Af en toe komt het dan toch tot een lichte volumepiek zoals tijdens het stukje tribal drumming in ‘Gather and Knit’. In ‘Midnight and Noon’ zijn het de gitaarperikelen van Platz die de concentratie in het klankenlaboratorium eventjes uit evenwicht brengen. Aan zijn zijde Haynes die hier eveneens het gamma van klankspeculaties uitbreidt met zijn cornet (al dan niet met sourdine). In ‘Study for Selvedge’ is het wederom Platz die, met de hulp van contrabassist Smith, het woordje “re-search” uit de titel extreem verklankt. ‘Movement for Quartet’ is een grande finale als een catharsis. Enkel in ‘Indigo’ duiken een aantal meer toegankelijke herkenningspunten op voor wie vertrouwd is met vastomlijnde structuren waar ook een vorm van melodie in zit.
Geen curiositeitenkabinet maar de doorgedreven zoektocht van vier geluidscontortionisten die de mogelijkheden van avant-gardistische acoustics aftasten." Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'halo, 2019.

"(...) Search? Oui. Le trompettiste Stephen Haynes était un élève très doué du génial Bill Dixon. Rien que le premier morceau de cet album, au bord du silence, est un véritable morceau d’anthologie. Le trompettiste fait éclater le son de l’embouchure, le contrebassiste Damon Smith fait vibrer les cordes avec délectation sur une ou deux notes, le percussionniste Matt Crane ajoute quelques friselis frémissants de cymbale et le guitariste Jeff Platz frictionne sa guitare trafiquée avec un zeste d’énergie Bonshō. Le quartet ne joue pas les facilités et assume complètement l’acte d’improviser dans les moindres recoins de leur configuration instrumentale, somme toute conventionnelle. Tous ceux qui ont été séduits par les audaces de Leo Smith à la grande époque et qui se passionnent pour le travail de Nate Wooley, Frantz Hautzinger, Jean-Luc Capozzo ou Peter Evans, se doivent d’écouter attentivement Stephen Haynes, un trompettiste amoureux du son. Il nous révèle le son, le timbre, les couleurs, les accents, la qualité du silence, évoquant sa grande imagination mélodique avec une économie de moyens. Pas de chapelets de notes pétaradant ou d’effets tape à l’œil dans les suraigus. Haynes fait plus qu’évoquer Dixon, il en est digne. Le jeu subtil et précautionneux de Smith fait encore monter le niveau, créant une belle empathie. On dira de même pour Jeff Platz que je viens de découvrir ici. Le batteur laisse de grands moments d’ouverture dans lequel son silence et son jeu détaillé et minimaliste laisse les timbres des trois autres instrumentistes s’épanouir pleinement et étirer leurs improvisations au delà le temps. Ici le rythme et le son se rejoignent, Quand la musique vient à s’agiter un peu (Study for Selvedge), c’est avec une belle efficacité. Un album intéressant du jazz libre qui évite poncifs et certitudes. Un esprit de recherche bienvenu." Jean-Michel Van Schouwburg, Onyx-Improv'andsound, 2019.

"(...) Uno dei modi con cui si manifesta la saggezza produttiva di Stefano Giust è quello di tenere anche una finestra aperta sull'universo improvvisativo statunitense. Search versus Re-Search è, infatti, il titolo di un cd del quartetto rinnovato dal chitarrista Jeff Platz, il cui merito è quello di aver costruito aggregazioni professionali di musicisti nel rispetto di una visione improvvisativa che tenta di aggiornare concetti venuti fuori sessanta anni fa. Attorno a Platz, ci sono molti artisti, giovani e meno giovani, che la storia dell'improvvisazione la fanno in maniera silente e Platz ha trasferito spesso le sue competenze anche in Europa, grazie ai proficui rapporti con istituzioni musicali, festivals ed improvvisatori tedeschi ed italiani (da noi con Succi, Sacha Caiani, Delvo). Assieme a Stephen Haynes (insegnante, allievo di Dixon, specialista della tromba e della cornetta), Damon Smith (contrabbasso passato attraverso la lente di Kowald, l'American Jungle Orchestra di Eneidi ed una serie interminabile di collaborazioni importanti) e Matt Crane (invero per me una sorpresa alle percussioni), Platz incorpora una visione consolidata dell'improvvisazione libera, quella che raccoglie la creatività nei suoi rivoli e mette in risalto le potenzialità espressive dei singoli musicisti. Non c'è un modo più "crudo" per verificare le capacità improvvisative di un artista, se non quello di regalargli uno spazio di libertà in cui deve condividerla con altri improvvisatori: c'è qualcuno che non sopporta partners occasionali, altri che invece cercano ampie condivisioni e Platz probabilmente è più incline alla seconda categoria. In questo cd suoni quasi segreti e ricercati (grazie a sordina, modalità kitchen sound, estensioni e tecniche senza grammatica) compongono un ottimo quadro d'assieme, dove ognuno non ha un compito prevalente, ma la cui perizia democratica permette di soddisfare l'esigenza di una musica completamente aliena alle pastoie musicali del mondo, in grado di regalarci atmosfere e luoghi di destinazione totalmente vincolate alle fecondità istantanea di menti che possiedono il dono di saperle coniugare (vedi quanto succede in Midnight and Noon)." Ettore Garzia, Percorsi Musicali, 2019.

01 _ Bonshō
02 _ Gather and Knit
03 _ Midnight and Noon
04 _ Study for Selvedge
05 _ Indigo
06 _ Movement for Quartet

(C) + (P) 2018