Serries, Amado & Lisle — The Invisible
The Invisible is a free-jazz record that shifts between the expressive & moody, to manic and dense, through to the abstract and angular. This three-length track album brings together Belgian guitarist Dirk Serries, Portuguese sax player Rodrigo Amado, and English drummer Andrew Lisle.
The album appears in the form of a CD on Vienna’s Klanggalerie- with the disc presented in a glossy digipak featuring atmospheric photos of brooding grey skies, barren waterways, and desolate rock formations.
Each of the tracks has runtimes between fifteen and twenty-three minutes, and each is fairly varied/ shifting in its unfolding. We open with “New Tone” where we move from blends of expressively cascading sax work, snapping/ shifting percussion, and manically chugging guitar work. Though to smoky horn wailings, lighter guitar struts/ simmers, and pared-back percussive darts.
On “Tapestry” the longest track here- where we shift from the jagged strum, steadily forlorn horn bay and shimmering percussion fills. Though to shifting honk, cascading smash ‘n’ crash, and more urgent guitar strut ‘n’ bound.
Lastly, we have the title track. It opens abstract and skittering-paced with bobbing honks, snaping ‘n’ darting percussion hits, and angularly guitar strumming. As it moves on things become denser, shifting, and more baying- with more noisily pronounced/ jagged guitar tones, rapidly rolling honks, and shifting percussive detail. Though to the moodily simmering, broodingly wailing, and atmospherically jangling.
The Invisible finds this three-piece on top form, managing to shift tone and emotion easily. If you enjoy your free jazz that moves between manic and dense, to more moody & expressive this will most certainly be your thing.