Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Vicente / Brice / Sanders: Unnavigable Tributaries

Vicente / Brice / Sanders: Unnavigable Tributaries

By John Sharpe
September 27, 2020
View read count

Vicente / Brice / Sanders: Unnavigable Tributaries

One of the UK's premier rhythm sections meeting with the adventurous Portuguese trumpeter

Luis Vicente

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Luis Vicente results in some classy unfettered mischief on Unnavigable Tributaries. Bassist

Olie Brice

bass, acoustic
b.1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Olie Brice and drummer

Mark Sanders

drums
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Sanders indulge in the masterful interplay that has buoyed up the likes of the Riverloam Trio with Polish saxophonist

Mikolaj Trzaska

saxophone, baritone

" data-original-title="" title="">Mikolaj Trzaska and their trinity with ICP stalwart saxophonist

" data-original-title="" title="">Tobias Delius. Vicente exhibits the same canny command he has shown in dates such as Points (Multikulti Project, 2019),Chamber 4 (FMR, 2015) and For Sale (Clean Feed, 2015). With six collective cuts recorded in the studio after the completion of a tour in Vicente's homeland, the trio further hones what has become a deep rapport.

So what of the individual parts? Vicente slides across the notes in liquid splutters and gobbets, veering from whinnying upticks to subterranean growls. But for all his tonal promiscuity, the trumpeter can still be something of a romantic at heart. During the denser moments, Brice revels in the adroitly-placed structural underpinning, though it is his measured contrapuntal figures which best demonstrate his keen ear. Meanwhile, Sanders channels the lessons of

Tony Oxley

drums
1938 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Oxley and

Paul Lovens

percussion
b.1949

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Lovens, using his personal amalgam of texture and pitch to fashion a more direct thrust, tilting proceedings towards the free jazz portion of the spectrum.

And together? Well the opening "C?a," with its tensile web of timbre and tumble founded on continual recalibration between there being three lead voices and three supporting voices, announces the template for the entire session. Within this model the threesome uncovers a world of possibility. "Sabor" presents a drifting, brooding ballad, with Vicente's melodic tendencies borne aloft by spaciously planted pizzicato flurries and clattering cymbal accents. By contrast, on "Corgo" gusty trumpet squalls and abrasive arco fabricate a roomy granular fresco at least initially, before a gearshift into pulsing exchange.

But while the conversation might float, twist or rattle, the impact remains uniformly engaging.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

C?a; Tua; Sabor; Corgo; Tavora; Paiva.

Personnel

Luis Vicente

trumpet

Olie Brice

bass, acoustic

Mark Sanders

drums

Album information

Title: Unnavigable Tributaries | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Multikulti Project

PREVIOUS / NEXT

New Aurora
< Previous

Jeff Rupert, Betty Carter, Gary Peac...
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.