By Brian Morton | Published July 2021
It’s tempting to say of this one that “you really had to be there.” An Instant Composers Pool concert has always been more of a happening than a regular gig, and this one finds a relatively unusual lineup (no Tristan Honsinger, no Tobias Delius) taking over a small café/restaurant/gallery in the north of Holland and making music not just in the venue, but with the venue. Players move from room to room, hence the “coming and going” title. Le Brocope’s dogs get involved. There’s a pianola on the premises, which gets an airing. Huge fun is had by all.
It’s easy, though, to underestimate the seriousness of what ICP does, and its deep connections with the jazz tradition. The ringmaster is Han Bennink, whose rhythmic intelligence is often seconded (by critics, if not by Bennink himself) to his appetite for clowning. There’s a respectful nod on “Kroket” to the late Misha Mengelberg, best known outside Europe for having recorded with Eric Dolphy, who was Lord of Misrule in Dutch improvised music for decades. He’s missed, but the baton has been passed on.
Komen & Gaan: Lucht; Sound Of Music; De Linkerschoen, De Rechterschoen 1; Komen en Gaan 1; MaGuTer; Kiksaus; GuTer; Pianola Potpourri; Kroket; Komen en Gaan 2; Ha AbTer; GuJo; Komen En Gaan 3; MiTer; Komen en Gaan 4; De Linkerschoen, De Rechterschoen 2. (63:29)
Personnel: Wolter Wierbos, trombone; Ab Baars, tenor saxophone, clarinet, shakuhachi; Michael Moore, alto saxophone, clarinet; Joris Roelofs, bass clarinet; Guus Janssen, piano, pianola; Terrie Ex, guitar; Mary Oliver, violin, viola; Ernst Glerum, bass, piano; Han Bennink, snare drum, cymbal, horseshoe, cajon, jeu de boules; house dogs.
Ordering Info: icporchestra.com
