José Lencastre Nau Quartet – “Eudaimonia” (FMR, 2018)

“Eudaimonia” is a new release of “FMR Records”. Album was recorded by “José Lencastre Nau Quartet” – here together play José Lencastre (alto sax), Rodrigo Pinheiro (piano), Hernâni Faustino (bass) and João Lencastre (drums). Four musicians – four absolutely different, charming, bright and original playing styles. Each of them is improvising creatively, passionately and free. Their improvisations always are based on free improvisation, avant-garde and experimental jazz. Musicians are exploring the technical abilities of their instruments – new timbres, bright, weird and outrageous sounds, innovative and experimental playing techniques and dozens of other different playing techniques and musical language’s elements contain the main base of their improvisations. That makes an effort to inspiring, sensible, charming and expressive sound. The music is filled with bright, intensive and dynamic solos, sparkling, blowing and dizzy free improvisations, glamorous and remarkable melodies, variable rhythmic and rich musical language. Their playing styles are usually based on American avant-garde jazz traditions, which are fused together with the newest tendencies of experimental jazz.

“Eudaimonia” is filled with bright, original and contrasting sound. Music has free structure, open form and, just like the other albums by these musicians, is based on the main elements of avant-garde jazz. The newest tendencies of experimental jazz, various streams of modern and contemporary jazz are creatively and suggestively fused together with experimental music and academic avant-garde. This interesting and effective synthesis between various jazz styles and contemporary academical music bring unusual, original and interesting sound to this album. Musicians have their own playing manner, charming and remarkable playing style and unique sound. Bright, free and passionate improvisations contain the main base of the album, but it’s not the only one side of the album. The music is made by contrasts – conceptual episodes which differ from each other in all the matters and sections of musical language. Different rhythms, harmony, eclectic stylistic combinations, colorful musical language, bright and variable musical pattern give the main tune to the sound and dictate the main mood of the compositions. Musicians are improvising very dynamicaly and brightly – their music is a fusion of experimental and traditions ways of playing, dozens of specific, simple and gorgeous expressions, huge range of timbres, sounds and tunes, which make a huge contrast with each other. The music is filled with abstract, subtle, soft, relaxing and free improvisations – it’s based on repetitive melodic and rhythmic intonations, simple chords and pitches, calm and stable tempo and traditionl dynamics. Melodic and rhythmic elements are separated from each other and repeated silmunateously or at the same time – that makes an effort to suggestive, vibrant, bright and passionate sound. These silent and calm episodes have the opposite – passionate, intense, vibrant, extremely loud and turbulent collective improvisations, which have active mood, terrific solos and charming sound. Alto saxophone solos are filled with expressive solos, dynamic rhythms, dozens of unusual sounds and gorgeous timbres, innovative instrumentation’s decisions and whole wide range of musical language elements fused together. Improviser masterfully goes straight to dramatic and turbulent culminations, harsh, sharp, noisy and suggestive blow outs or subtle, calm and relaxing solos. All the elements of musical language make an artsy and bright combination and have its own place in musical pattern. Piano melodies are dynamic and constantly changing – just like saxophone, piano is filled with peaceful and relaxing mood, stable rhythmic, quadratic structure and remarkable solos. This part of the compositions is filled with harsh, unusual and sharp chords, dozens of various tempos, timbres, playing techniques, dynamics and many other elements. Musician have especially suggestive and passionate playing style. Bass improvisations and drum section form stable, monotonic and tremendous rhythmic section and colorful background. Musicians keep firm, suggestive and solid rhythmic section through all the compositions. Unusual and outrageous timbres, bright and evocative solos, turbulent improvisations, innovative and free musical decisions – these and many other elements form the main pattern of this album. Effective vibrato, passionate and extremely rapid passages, other virtuosic elements, expressive and rich musical language, fusion of gentle and playful pizzicatto, short and harsh staccato, luminous and powerful blow outs or bright, evocative and dizzy glissando – these traditional elements of musical language are fused together and joined together by other element’s of musical language. The marvelous and artsy synthesis between different musical labgyage elements, bright, tremendous and terrific improvising make a creative, vibrant, intensive and energetic sound.