The formation of a band is usually justified by the common conceptions and interests of its members, but in the case of this Portuguese trio we have an example confirming that the inverse idea can also be true. In fact, José Bruno Parrinha, Luís Lopes and Ricardo Jacinto couldn’t be more different from each other, be it in terms of backgrounds, vocabularies, used techniques and even attitudes. Parrinha comes from jazz studies and is now committed to a very refined idea of free improvised music. Lopes has a past in rock and his projects either glue that type of sound with open form jazz or go to the domains of extreme guitar noise. Also a sound sculptor and instalacionist, Jacinto works usually in the field of experimental music, with some interludes inside the pop song world. When this trio presented itself in concert for the first time, it was a surprise. They found a key to communicate musically and that key is a collective capacity to measure energy and to weigh materials. “Garden” is a marvel of controlled, even when intense, improvisation, and of a very disciplined, and yet seeming loose, economy of sounds. It’s amazing listening to how Parrinha clarinet or saxophones deal with only three or four notes in a piece, exploring the combinations until he can’t do nothing more with it. How is it possible to do so much with such few elements?  How can Lopes and Jacinto do more with less, even using electricity and electronic processors? It’s a mystery, and an incredibly seductive one.

Tracks 2, 3, 6 recorded on February 20th 2015 by John Klima at Scratch Built Studio, Lisbon.
Tracks 1, 4, 5, 7 recorded on February 22nd by Joaquim Monte at Namouche studio, Lisbon.
Mixed and Mastered by Joaquim Monte at Namouche Studios, Lisbon, Portugal
Produced by Parrinha, Lopes and Jacinto | Executive production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Cover photo by André Cepeda | Design by Travassos | Liner notes by Sei Miguel

Special Thanks to Márcia de Brito, Fala Mariam, Sei Miguel, Joaquim Monte, John Klima, André Cepeda, Nuno Martins.