Friday, October 28, 2011

Crescent Double Quartet: Radio Mundial

The Crescent Double Quartet’s website describes the band’s debut album, Radio Mundial, as “a trip around the world in 13 tracks" — but that's just the beginning.

This initiative is not only about the album concept but also the group’s unique “double quartet” instrumentation: a jazz rhythm section fronted by saxophonist and group leader Aart van Bergen, plus a string quartet. This exciting hybrid accentuates each strain.

The globetrotting concept may help new listeners focus on the album, tune by tune, and the mock-radio-DJ interludes in various languages are amusing. The concept also reflects the international makeup of the group:

Saxophones: Aart van Bergen (Netherlands)
Piano: Kaan Biyikoglu (Turkey)
Bass: Sandor Kem (Hungary)
Drums: Remco Menting (Netherlands)
1st Violin: Anastasija Zvirbule (Latvia)
2nd Violin: Anne Bakker (Netherlands)
Viola: Yanna Pelser (Netherlands)
Cello: Eduard Ninot (Spain)

Maybe the most important consequence of the mundial concept was to stimulate variety in the writing. Each piece is distinct, and the album takes full advantage of all the resources in the double quartet. As I wrote back in April and also in July, whatever else the CDQ embraces, the music always works as jazz.

“Belly Dance” (video embedded above), a wild story in little chapters, proceeds from shrill Middle Eastern spikes to jumpy syncopation that weirdly suggests three-minute big band recordings such Ellington’s “Harlem Air Shaft” or Jimmie Lunceford’s “Stratosphere” — mainly in structure and feel, of course.

In contrast, behold the gorgeous violin and soprano interplay on "Sahara."

Pianist Kaan Bıyıkoğlu brings a strong rhythmic attitude to “La Mortalidad (Banda)” and elsewhere.

“Daedalus” and “Vaarwel” display the varied sonorities of the strings. It’s hard to give credit to the string players due to the overlapping ranges of the instruments and the fact that there are two violinists. Are album notes available?

“La Révélation de Angoulême,” with van Bergen’s elegant tenor solo and a wash of strings, revels in waltz time. I can hear Charles Lloyd tearing through this music with gale force, and that would be fun, but so is this approach that savors the time and the pleasing harmonies.

“Tikal” was one of the earlier released tunes. I still think the break in the middle, with strings creating a little chaos, is something to develop as part of the regular vocabulary of the group.

“Carte Blanche, Part 2” also contains a bit of collective improvisation. The piano with bowed and plucked strings creates exciting textures, which sadly dissipate after just 100 seconds. More, please!

In any case, there’s a lot going on in “Radio Mundial” — great listening throughout.

Voice of America’s Diaa Bekheet has written two blog posts about van Bergen and the CDQ:

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