Ray Dickaty - tenor & soprano saxophones
Jan Małkowski - alto saxophone
Ksawery Wójciński - double bass, pocket trumpet
Michał Kasperek - drums, percussion
Dominik Mokrzewski - drums, percussion
Laura Waniek - chromatic harmonica, whistles, jaw harp
FOR TUNE 0029
By Adam Baruch
This is the debut recording by the Polish Improvised Music ensemble Infant Joy Quintet, which consists of British (resident in Warsaw) saxophonist Ray Dickaty, and Polish musicians: saxophonist Jan Małkowski, bassist Ksawery Wójciński and drummers Michał Kasperek and Dominik Mokrzewski. Harmonica player Laura Waniek appears as a guest artist. The album presents three extensive improvisations, one of which is almost half an hour in duration, all credited to all the quintet members.
With a
double saxophone/double drums lineup the quintet presents a solid showcase of
concentrated group improvisation, which keeps a pretty steady level of
intensity from the very first seconds the music starts to play till the very
end, leaving almost no place for individual expression. The "wall of sound"
effect hints (in addition to the album's title) as to the intention of the
musicians to pay tribute to the legendary Albert Ayler, which is only partly
successful.
Wojcinski,
who is left alone in the "center" of this music, manages to keep the
havoc in check, and his energetic, but well structured bass pulsations save the
entire proceedings from disintegration. Collective improvisation is of course
based primarily not on the ability of the musicians to play but rather on their
ability to listen to what the other ensemble members play. On this album it
often appears as if the mutual listening is secondary.
Overall
this is a typical Improvised Music meeting, all a spur of the moment, completely
unique and unrepeatable. As such it has its merits and is worth listening to,
but there is hardly any groundbreaking, innovative or extraordinary statement
being made here. It is important to listen to such music live but on record it
loses its charm considerably.
