أحمد [Ahmed] : They are four musicians from the United Kingdom, alto saxophone, piano, double bass, drums. After making a name for themselves with their own covers of the little-known bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik and recording half a dozen of his tracks, the quartet is now tackling the work of Thelonious Monk, putting it through their own wringer, which I will try to illustrate.
They began by stating part of the theme of the piece Evidence. I say part. Quickly, this fragment – in which we find a concentration of Monk’s inflections – is, so to speak, atomized, dynamited and pulverized into shrapnel, which the saxophone then begins to manipulate, to permute in every possible way while the drummer propels the music, supported by a double bassist who, for the next hour, will do nothing but keep time by plucking his strings and a pianist who will just as tirelessly strike the same notes throughout.
On the one hand, we are left with a limited melodic material, which is explored and permuted at a frenetic pace, sustained to the point of exhaustion, while the rhythm section continues imperturbably forward, though it seems more like treading water. Reduced to almost nothing, Monk’s theme swirls around itself like electrons around their nucleus or a moth obsessively circling a lightbulb.
Is it due to the thinness of the musical material? To the fact that the piano and the double bass are limited to the same gestures with variations, certainly, but infinitesimal ones? Whatever the reason, instead of being swept away by the music thus generated (it was not the first time that I had exposed myself to [Ahmed]’s style), I remain on the sidelines, a spectator, unable to take part in the jubilation.
And I’m not the only one. Taken aback by my reaction, I asked around among the audience as they left the theater and was quite surprised by some of the comments. I wouldn’t go so far as to say the audience was divided on the issue, but they were far from unanimous.
A hoax? A sham? While I may not enjoy it, a good number of people loved it. Certainly, this approach provokes reactions and, if only for that reason, deserves closer examination, requiring careful consideration of the entire process.
A few final words on the performance of Ahmed’s pianist, Pat Thomas, who performed solo the previous day:
Pat Thomas is one of those largely self-taught musicians who have developed a unique sonic world, with a distinctive style, a signature sound, but also a freshness stemming from a lack of pretension and a constant desire for playful exploration. With a style that is sometimes tachist, sometimes unrestrained, but always forward-looking, surprises await at every turn.
The exercise of performing a solo piano recital of improvised music is a perilous one, as it is accomplished without a safety net. Generally, it is the musicians who give it their all who fare best. And in the case of Pat Thomas, the result is a sincerity and transparency that make one forget the sometimes slightly clumsy aspect of his raw art.
