Hammer, Roll And Leaf
Relative Pitch, 2024
9/10
Listen to Hammer, Roll And Leaf
A sax, piano and drum fueled affair, Sakina Abdou, Toma Gouband and Marta Warelis make for an unclassifiable and truly iconoclastic listen.
“Roll” leads with Warelis’ firm versus bare keys before Abdou’s dizzying sax enters the nearly 10 minutes of atypical jazz ideas, and “Leaf The Hammer” follows with Gouband’s well timed drums that suit the sax stabs and bouts of keys that manipulate space and tension.
“Hammer” lands in the middle and squeals amid a ‘found objects’ type of drumming, while “Roll The Leaf” is strong on ambience with a distinct intimacy and intriguing dreaminess.
Deeper still, “Roll The Hammer” uses a lower register on the keys amid a busy, controlled chaos approach of free jazz exploration, and “Hammer The Roll” exits with rhythmic drumming and an undercurrent of melody via the dynamic and striking finish.
An improvised affair that’s nothing short of mesmerizing, this trio mesh chamber, jazz and noise nods into a powerful and artistic experience.
Travels well with: Juni- Late To The Party; Frise Lumiére- Ambo