By Sammy Stein

Charlotte Keeffe has lately been gaining recognition that’s greater than
justified and is turning into one of many strongest voices in improvised music.
Her second launch on Discus Music sees Keeffe along with her common working
quartet exploring her compositions which she describes as open-ended.
Recorded in a studio, the 60 minutes of music deftly captures the quartet’s
power and vibrance. Keeffe’s composition must be admired as a result of in all
the tracks, there’s ample room for every musician to shine and reveal
why Keeffe chooses to play with such class improvisers, but in addition area for
collective expression and this feels essential to this quartet. The quartet
includes double bass participant Ashley John Lengthy, drummer Ben Handysides
guitar participant Moss Freed and Charlotte Keeffe on Sound Brush/Trumpet and
flugelhorn. Keeffe can also be the composer.

Keeffe’s Proper Right here Proper Now quartet was featured on BBC Radio 3’s Freeness present titled ‘The Trumpet Shall Paint’. This was the quartet’s
second BBC Radio 3 Freeness characteristic this 12 months they usually recorded their
Manchester Jazz Competition set particularly for the present too.

Charlotte instructed me she was ‘bursting to get the music out there’ for this
launch, and I’m not stunned. It’s a kind of uncommon recordings the place
you sense absolutely the consolation of the musicians concerned. They are enjoying
music underneath the management of somebody who understands improvisation, the
area musicians want, and in addition the best way to attract the very best from each. Moss
Freed specifically shines on this album, however every participant contributes a
robust essence and in addition comes collectively in stunning discourse. On the ultimate
monitor, the quartet produces a stunning and wonderful harmonic vocal
part.

The album accommodates surprises and delights, from the scrumptious outbursts and
tuneful blurts on ‘1200 Images 1 and three’ and the melodic, tuneful (as
in stuffed with tunes, reasonably than a single melody) delight that’s ‘A Horse
Named Galaxy’ with a drum solo, constant bass, and tuneful rhythmic
phrasing within the melodic part, improvised sounds across the bass and
trumpet sharing the lead, overtopped with deftly inserted guitar riffs and
solo. ‘Cotton Tail’ is a mild monitor with fairly melodies trickling from
the guitar contrasting with the devilish improvisation across the guitar
work and simply take a look at Keeffe’s flying trumpet on this monitor.

Keeffe’s musicality is excellent. She effortlessly switches from melodic
interludes to primal screeches and waffles. She has that knack for
understanding what the music wants and simply when it wants it. At occasions, her
trumpet sighs softly, whispering sweetness, and at others, it blasts and
blares like a demonic imp forcefully rising from the depths of sound
offered by the quartet. The combination of sounds on this album is extraordinary –
though improvising musicians, at occasions, they fall simply into harmonic
melodies, making a palpable essence of unity.

Keeffe’s playfulness is obvious on many tracks – for instance on ‘1200
Images 2’ the place it seems like a Mexican dance is about to start out at any
second, earlier than the drums change the rhythmic overtones and Keeffe units off
on one other diversion and a honk fest commences, or ‘Eastenders’ the place the
trumpet lays down improvised strains, and the remainder of the quartet reply in
musical dialog.

The gentle touches in ‘Wholeness’ and the slight messiness of ‘1200
pictures 3’ present curiosity and ‘Candy, Corn’ is a beautiful monitor that
demonstrates the togetherness of this quartet, as they run collectively throughout
a spread of rhythmic and timed diversions, held by the glue of a repeated 6
word riff to the ultimate improvised breakdown – splendidly various.

These variations of Keeffe’s compositions captured for readability within the studio,
kind the foundation of the quartet’s dwell set and one factor is for sure. The
prospects on this music are limitless. The art work on the duvet is
note-worthy too, as Gina Southgate as soon as once more captures a band in amorphous
kind.

When Keeffe requested for a evaluate, she despatched me her description of the music in
a brief narrative/poem. It learn,

“Proper Right here, Proper Now. It’s as it’s…

Charlotte Keeffe’s Proper Right here, Proper Now Quartet that includes Ashley John
Lengthy, Ben Handysides, and Moss Freed, is a breeding floor for squelchy,
sploshy, splashy Sound Brush enjoying – music-making!

Overtly over-blowing, splitting, splattering, squirming, squeaking, and
squealing out ALIVE! Howling and hooting, chomping, and chaffing…

Dusty, distorted, flimsy, fragile, manic, ghostly, guttural sound strokes
rip by way of whirlwinds and whirlpools of healthful gooey sound dough!

A turbulent tease, staggering, swaying, abruptly plunging into intentional
vagueness…

A messy emporium of uncooked, raucous realness.

Alive.”

Keeffe and her quartet nailed it.

It’s obtainable on all the music platforms