Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Rodrigo Amado: The Abstract Truth

Rodrigo Amado: The Abstract Truth

By Mark Corroto
September 29, 2009
View read count

Saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, bassist

Kent Kessler

bass, acoustic
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Kent Kessler, and drummer

" data-original-title="" title="">Paal Nilssen-Love is an international trio featuring players from Portugal, United States and Norway, respectively. But on its second recording, The Abstract Truth, the assemblage speaks the same language; its mother tongue being hard-hitting, concise improvisation.

This disc follows the Teatro (European Echoes, 2006), the trio's very first meeting. Where the previous disc was wide-ranging, barbarous, and marked by lengthy pieces, the music here is more concise, with most tracks in the five-to-seven minute range.

Amado—a rising star in Europe heard recently with

Dennis Gonzalez

trumpet
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Dennis Gonzalez' Yells At Eels Trio on The Great Bydgoszcz Concert (Ayler, 2009) and with

Taylor Ho Bynum

cornet
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Taylor Ho Bynum, John Hebert, and

Gerald Cleaver

drums
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerald Cleaver on Searching For Adam (Not Two, 2009)—always seems to be in good company when he records, and The Abstract Truth is no exception. Kessler and Nilssen-Love are, by now, old hands at this type of affair. Kessler, of

Vandermark 5

" data-original-title="" title="">Vandermark 5 and

Peter Brötzmann

woodwinds
1941 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Br?tzmann fame, and Nilssen-Love is the drummer of choice for Brotzmann,

Mats Gustafsson

woodwinds
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Mats Gustafsson and

Ken Vandermark

saxophone
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Ken Vandermark, to name just a few of the many bands to which each of these players contributes.

The disc opens with "Intro/The Red Tower," balancing the subtle with the explosive. Amado's tenor keeps the lid on the ever-simmering drummer by slow and deliberate lines. The tension within each composition is the attraction here. All three have an awareness of the music making the task at hand keeping these improvised musical pieces, well, musical.

Nilssen-Love is a master of propulsion. Be it with his tom-toms or simple sticks on metal, he is always driving, commenting, and chiding his mates. The music, although not scripted, is structured and organized, but not just Kessler's time-keeping bass but all three players. When Amado takes up a baritone saxophone on "Universe Unmasked," the normally stodgy sound is whipped through its paces by Kessler's force and Nilssen-Love's unrelenting pace. And Amado is game, chasing the pulse and barking out chorus after chorus of bottom filled notes; a real muscular flexing exercise.

Elsewhere the trio delivers the ballad-like "A Dream Transformed" and the dreamy "Enigma Of The Arrival," a sparse meditation piece. More beguiling and captivating music.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Rodrigo Amado: tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone; Kent Kessler: doublebass; Paal Nilssen-Love: drums.

Personnel

Rodrigo Amado

saxophone, tenor

Intro/The Red Tower; Clouds And Shadows; Human Condition; The Kiss; Universe Unmasked: A Dream Transformed; The Enchanted Room; Enigma Of The Arrival.

Album information

Title: The Abstract Truth | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: European Echoes

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Pieces of Jade
< Previous

Slow Life
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.