The Montreal quartet Egyptian Cotton Arkestra (ECA) has become something of a legend since their first impromptu burst in 2017. Each of his appearances is one that makes those who were there say, “I was there!” and those who missed them say, “OMG, when’s the next one?” Who knows? Because improvisation is the master of life for this unusual band, formed by a saxophone (James Goddard, who also plays the mbira, an African thumb piano), a violin (Ari Swan), a bass (Markus Lake), and drums (Lucas Huang).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their roots lie in jazz, but especially in free improvisation, contemporary music, and French Impressionism. Long atmospheric sequences, almost ambient but more complex and harmonically driven, slowly but surely evolve towards peaks of ecstatic density, charged with unrestrained freedom. It’s the original combination of instruments, but also the sense of sound construction that distinguishes this group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n