When the concert of this live recording was announced in Lisbon, it was with some surprise. The backgrounds, references and styles of the Portuguese guitarist Luís Lopes and the French alto saxophonist (and church organist, and electro-acoustic manipulator) Jean-Luc Guionnet couldn’t be more different. Lopes is known for his free improvised settings, his noise solo blastings and the open jazz, but tintet with rock, he plays with Humanization 4tet and the Lisbon-Berlin Trio. The roots of this musician from Lisbon are in blues, rock, jazz and, yes, punk. Guionnet goes from the free jazz revival of The Fish to experimental free improv (Propagations, Hubub) and musique concrète (for instance, with Eric La Casa and Seijiro Murayama). Here, we hear them finding uncommon grounds, and sure they manage to do it in a surprising, wonderful way. More than trying to adapt to each other, they create something else with the different materials provided. That’s what to improvise is all about and this is indeed a lesson to follow.

All music by Luis Lopes and Jean-luc Guionnet

Recorded live March 13rd 2011 by Pedro Cruz at Culturgest, Lisbon, Portugal / Mixed and Mastered September 2012 by Joaquim Monte at Namouche Studios, Lisbon, Portugal
Produced by Luís Lopes / Executive production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul / Cover Photo by Nuno Martins / Design by Travassos