Live At Plus-Etage Volume 1 is a three-CD set taking three different improv line-ups/ sets. The release appears on Belgium’s A New Wave Of Jazz label- so everything here is on the more abstract, difficult, and at times fiery end of the improv genre. Though as we’ve come to expect from the label the quality of the material is very high- with the players going off down all manner of rewarding sonic avenues- be they jarring, seared, or generally creative.

The CDs are presented in a six-panel mini gatefold. On its outside, we get the label's standard grey boxes & black text minimalistic house style, though we do get the addition of a few red-coloured lines of text. Inside we find small pictures of each of the set-ups/ live recordings, and basic track details.

The first CD features Charlotte Keeffe – trumpet, flugelhorn, and Andrew Lisle – drums. The pair offer up two sets recorded on the 29th of April 2022. “Set 1” comes in at twenty-eight minutes & forty-eight seconds- it finds the pair nicely shifting between sparing, following each other leads, and at brief points running on their own. We move from jump-cut percussion runs & jittering horn honks, onto blends of more raucous trumpeting & tip tap-detailed drumming, though to baying pipe blows ‘n’ forks drifted by light touched/ moody percussion rustle ‘n’ ebbs. “Set 2” runs at the slightly shorter twenty-one minutes & forty-four seconds. It opens with slowly rolling to sliding cymbal work &  waving horn tones. Moving onto more manic interplays with detailed percussive runs move with a rapid selection of horn taut flutters, saws, scratchers and warbles.

Moving onto disc two- and here we find another two around twenty-six to twenty-nine sets from Stefan Keune – sopranino, alto sax, Dirk Serries - archtop guitar, Benedict Taylor – viola. This was recorded on September 30th, 2022.  “Set 1” moves from rather manic mixes of strum, saw, and darting horn bay. Onto constricted mid-range neck fiddles, darting slices, and horn rapidity.  Though to mixes of low-end creaks & searing-to-forking scrubs. “Set 2” goes from grating saw meets fiddle and rapid horn chatter. Onto spaced-out strums ‘n’ hacks meet darting warbles, onto manic inter runs between saw, honk, and tolling tap.

The third & final disc features just “Set 1” a single track running at forty-one minutes. With the players here are Martina Verhoeven & Gonçalo Almeida – both on double bass.  This was recorded on November 25th, 2022. The track moves from bumping ‘n’ sparing bounds, creaks, and bays.. Through to more busy interplays between plucks, twangs & manic sawing. , beaded rattle ‘n’ rotate, and droning bay. Onto mixes of low-end fumble ‘n’ higher fiddle.

I enjoy all three CDs here and their sets- as each is alive with invention & flare- but if pushed I’d say the stand out is the third disc, and these two double bass players really create a wonderful array of sound 'n' sonic adventure. This release is Ltd to just 300 copies and can be purchased directly from  here