Test And Roy Campbell
577, 2020
8/10
Listen to Test And Roy Campbell
TEST were a collective outfit consisting of Tom Bruno (drums), Matthew Heyner (bass), Sabir Mateen (alto/tenor sax, flute, clarinet) and Daniel Carter (alto/tenor sax, trumpet, flute) and here a live set is captured from 1999, where Roy Campbell’s trumpet joins along on the only known recording where Campbell plays with TEST.
The entire album is just one 47 minute track, that starts busy with a flurry of chaotic brass that still manages to find a semblance of balance within the busyness. as crashing percussion and pounding drums complement the frenetic energy.
Though there are fleeting moments of calm- often allowing an instrument a brief solo- for the most part this is wild free jazz where roars from the audience signal just how magical the setting was.
A fascinating display of improvisational talent, this is a dizzying delivery of experimental and avant-garde ideas that no one else could replicate quite like this, and it documents a very exciting time in the life of these musicians.
Recorded April 16, 1999 at The Hint House in Harlem, NYC by Matt Mottell, the sound quality here is excellent, and the spontaneity flows in a way that seems as if the performance is happening right in front of you. Fans of art-rock, noise-rock and, of course, jazz, will be captivated, to put it mildly.
Travels well with: Flaherty/Colbourne/Hunt/Roberson- Borrowed From Children; Jorma Tapio & Kaski- Aliseen