“Barbacana”

“Barbacana”

(Babel Records BDV13118)

Barbacana is the latest project to feature the talents of the increasingly ubiquitous pianist and keyboard player Kit Downes. Only twenty six Downes is a huge talent and already leads his own groups in trio and quintet formats as well as being a member of such influential ensembles as Neon Quartet, Troyka and Golden Age Of Steam. A serial collaborator he’s also a hugely in demand sideman and is likely to pop up just about anywhere in any context, equally as at home on acoustic piano or electric keyboard. 

The Barbacana quartet is an Anglo/French alliance featuring the very British talents of Downes, here on electric keyboards and prepared piano, and his Golden Age Of Steam colleague James Allsopp on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet. The French half of the equation includes Adrien Dennefeld who guested to good effect on cello on Downes’ album “Quiet Tiger” and subsequently appeared with Downes group at Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Dennefeld is also a highly skilled guitarist with a refreshingly personalised style and in his native land he is equally well known for his work on this instrument. The line up is completed by drummer and percussionist Sylvain Darrifourcq whose credit here references “drums, objects, toys”. It’s therefore perhaps not too surprising that the music generated by this cross channel partnership often sounds playful, a beguiling mix of English whimsy and Gallic eccentricity. An all original programme includes pieces by Downes, Allsopp and Dennefeld plus the brief title track by the French hurdy gurdy specialist Valentin Clastrier.

The album begins in suitably lively fashion with Downes’ “Animation”, the title summing up the playful anarchy of the piece but probably also referencing the composer’s cross genre collaborations with animator Lesley Barnes. Similar in spirit to Django Bates’ music for his small group Human Chain the tune features a beguiling mix of sounds including Downes’ varying keyboards, Darrifourcq’s colourful and inventive percussion (there’s some of those “objects” and “toys” in there) and Dennefeld’s unusual and inventive use of steel/slide guitar - shades here of one time Human Chain member Stuart Hall. In a piece that embraces considerable emotional and dynamic contrasts the woody tones of Allsopp’s bass clarinet are utilised effectively on a more reflective and impressionistic second section. 

Also from the pen of Downes “Steam” continues to deploy Allsopp’s talents on bass clarinet, his long, grainy lines contrasting nicely with the delicate keening of Dennefeld’s guitar as Darrifoucq provides the quietest and subtlest of percussive commentaries on the extended, highly atmospheric intro. Eventually the drummer strikes up an odd meter groove which frames a brief but lively electric piano solo from Downes and sees Allsopp switching to tenor sax. 

Dennefeld’s “Adobes” also offers the same beguiling mix of solemnity and playfulness with melancholy cello and bass clarinet lines contrasting interestingly with Darrifourcq’s broken beat grooves and idiosyncratic percussion. Like many of the tunes on the album it’s a piece that’s divided into contrasting sections, this time incorporating a brief ,woozily spacey, episode mid tune.

The title track is brief, playful and idiosyncratic with crazily interlocking melodic and rhythmic patterns coalescing around Darrifourcq’s central drum groove. It’s an intriguing snippet that suggests that Clastrier, hitherto a name unknown to me, might be well worth checking out.

Allsopp’s “For no raisin” (the title pinched from a pun by Fozzie Bear) would appear to be a piece he’s particularly fond of. The tune has been performed by both Fraud and Golden Age Of Steam, bands led or co-led by Allsopp. It suits Barbacana just fine too with Dennefeld’s idiosyncratic slide guitar shedding new light on the piece as it unfolds slowly around Darrifourcq’s sparse, exaggeratedly slow, drum groove. The dialogue between Allsopp, this time on tenor, and Dennefeld on guitar continues to impress as Downes provides both melodic variation and rhythmic counterpoint.

The Downes/Allsopp composed “Migration - Big BIG Shop” is the album’s focal point, a ten minute shifting opus that alternates between full blooded riffing and dream like, impressionistic interludes. Dennefeld’s eerily distinctive guitar sound continues to maintain the interest and Downes’ often Gothic keyboard textures enhance the atmosphere. Allsopp’s sax weaves in and out and one gets the impression that much of the take to be heard here may be fully improvised. Theres a strong sense of collective responsibility throughout the album and a good spirit of group interaction which results in a distinctive ensemble “Barbacana” sound. 

Dennefeld’s “Outro” begins with the gorgeously woody tones of Allsopp’s bass clarinet on a lengthy   unaccompanied introduction. The mood remains reflective and sombre throughout with a beguiling mix of textures featuring reeds, cello and keyboards enhanced by the nuances of Darrifourcq’s perfectly judged percussive commentary. The drummer’s subtlety on quieter pieces recalls greats such as Paul Motian and Jon Christensen, or in a more contemporary context Seb Rochford, who has worked in an acclaimed duo with Downes.

“Barbacana” represents an impressive début from this Anglo-French quartet, their music a beguiling mix of the solemn and the playful with long, brooding melody lines and sombre, grainy textures   alternating with livelier passages featuring quirky drum grooves and swirling, chirruping keyboards from the Django Bates school. Indeed there’s a charming Loose Tubes-ish eccentricity and whimsy about many of these performances.

Barbacana make good use of their often unusual instrumental configurations and in Darrifourcq they have a drummer who can respond well to the idiosyncrasies of his colleagues. This is music that is both beguiling and quietly adventurous and which is not afraid to mix up moods, styles and dynamics, often in the course of the same tune.

I’m looking forward to seeing Barbacana perform live at the 2013 Cheltenham Jazz Festival. They appear at the Parabola Arts Centre at 6.00 pm on Sunday 5th May.         

 

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