Search - Daunik Lazro :: A.H.O. And His Orchestra

A confusing title for a trio, perhaps, and God only knows what it means, but it doesn't make a bit of difference, as this set by Lazro and his cohorts is a wonder of free and post-free jazz fire and humor. It begins with "Hornet," with its funk backbeat played on an upright bass by Bolcato with requisite howling and yelling, which becomes an Ornette Coleman-like study on repetitive melody lines that open up the inside intervals for free improvisation. On Steve Lacy's "Kitty Malone," the band plays through Lacy's graceful melody -- which is in its opening bars reminiscent of "My Favorite Things" -- until it inverts the line and intervals, leaving the empty ones -- usually the fourths and ninths -- for space-like mediation by the rhythm section. As Lazro begins his solo ascent from the bottom triad of the scale, he articulates Lacy's actual voice on the alto and then moves toward building a solo embedded in the mode for the rhythm section to move against in the same way they would blues changes. And on it goes, with masks being ripped off harmonic stasis, screaming arpeggios creating new melodic and harmonic lines from old -- especially on Charles Tyler's "The Outlaws" -- and a complete re-examination of Christian Rollet's drums as a rhythm instrument. This is one of Lazro's strongest and fiercest outings. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide