Published on NextBop
German saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, a musician who usually works in relatively small jazz groups, is now taking her vision to the orchestra. With two pieces full of engrossing discord and a contemporary fusion with traits of classical music and avant-garde jazz improvisation, Contemporary Chaos Practices is an extremely apt title. The soloists featured include Laubrock and other musicians that are a part of the New York City experimental jazz scene where the saxophonist is a mainstay: Kris Davis (piano), Mary Halvorson (guitar) and Nate Wooley (Trumpet).
The title piece is dark, cinematic and unnerving. It begins with a bang - literally - and then moves into an ominous cycle of blaring horns. The repetition is rapid, to the point where the horns seem to be swarming like an angry hive of bees. The first soloist here is Halvorson, who is given a temporarily hornless space for her knotty guitar work.
Laubrock's time in the spotlight contains swift and visceral passages. The saxophonist creates some of the records' most enthralling moments by wildly reacting to the writhing atmosphere of horns and strings that surrounds her. Later on, the composition momentarily becomes conventionally melodic and pretty before contorting itself. Everything combines to form one massive twisted wall of sound - and then explodes. The whole orchestra is a fascinating pandemonium.
The second piece, "Vogelfrei", does not offer much reprieve for those who are searching for something a bit more lighthearted. The piece opens with an eerie, white noise-like approach from the string section. The palpable tension is cut through by Davis, whose icy piano contributes a delicate cascade of notes. Davis' playing is key throughout "Vogelfrei", at times acting as an ethereal soothing eye in the center of Laubrock's storm of a composition.
Although it is brief, the haunting vocal part of "Vogelfrei" is a standout point of the album. After "Contemporary Chaos Practices", where Laubrock was primarily focused on unsettling soundscapes, the choral beauty in "Vogelfrei" comes off as surprising and left-field. It's captivating moments like this that make Contemporary Chaos Practices such an accomplishment. Laubrock's orchestral work is highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the modern avant-garde, regardless of whether it comes from a jazz or classical perspective.
