At The Little Theatre on Tuesday night, the Austrian jazz
trio Mario Rom’s Interzonepicked
up right where it left off two years ago during its last appearance at
XRIJF.
Interzone is almost too much fun, if that’s even
possible: Lukas Kranzelbinder continues to be one of
the most riveting double bassists I’ve seen, and Herbert Pirker is as nimble a
drummer as you’re likely to hear. Mario Rom is an absolutely dazzling trumpet
player, possessing a distinctive flair all his own.
Just as I remembered, they played fast and intense — like
repeated shots of musical adrenaline. Rom’s dexterity on the trumpet was
remarkable, dispensing extended melodic runs that were magic, plain and simple.
This was especially evident during “Words of Advice,” from the new album “Truth
Is Simple to Consume.”
For “Broken Image of Man,” also off the aforementioned
record, Kranzelbinder plucked out some downright
bluesy bass chords as the foundation, while Rom’s decidedly mellower trumpet
was no less incisive or on-point. That’s not to say his playing was flawless,
but frankly, it didn’t matter. His willingness to take risks made all the
difference.
“Milking
of the Mugwumps,” a song inspired by American
writer William S. Burroughs’s infamous novel “Naked Lunch,” had all the classic
jazz signifiers, but just enough experimental elements to keep the audience
honest. Amid the sounds of “Choose Your Vision,” a subtle feature of Interzone’s work emerged: the band’s ability to smuggle in
non-jazz rhythmic motives, virtually undetected. While Rom’s trumpet
grabbed all the immediate attention, more conservative jazz listeners took in
rock and avant-garde elements, courtesy of Kranzelbinder
and Pirker, who were always in lock-step yet able to let loose at any moment.
This band’s performance may end up as the best-kept secret of
the XRIJF. Mario Rom’s Interzone is definitely on my
shortlist for best of the fest.
Later on in the evening, Norwegian tenor saxophonist Ole Mathisen and his Floating
Points ensemble played a cryptic hybrid of contemporary classical and jazz
during its second set at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation. It was telling
that its first piece was “J.S.,” an ultra-modern ode to Bach.
The performance of the “Floating Points” suite was the Jazz Fest
at its most esoteric: Mathisen and trumpeter Amir ElSaffar intoned meditative drones that explored microbial harmonies; meandering lines
were delivered like non-sequiturs; abstract interjections fluttered and spasmed, wailed and shrieked. This was jazz deconstructed,
dissected even; all the bones were there, but the remains told a more abstract,
disjointed yet compelling story.
The entire performance required intensive listening, and was
not ideal for those uninitiated with the avant-garde. That’s not to say the
music wasn’t rewarding. The sounds were some of the most bold and adventurous I
had heard at the festival thus far.
This article appears in Jun 21-27, 2017.
