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Mat Maneri Quintet at The Stone

by Michael Ouchakof

Maneri-Noriega
In the lexicon of chaos theory and the study of complex systems, chaotic behavior patterns are often interconnected through non-linear interactions. As esoteric as those concepts may seem to the average thinker, the same could be said of the experimental form of “free jazz” with regards to the average listener. Music theory is composed by the language of mathematics and physics, the same fields which pioneered the theories of complexity and chaos. On Wednesday night, the Mat Maneri Quintet treated the audience gathered at The Stone to an incredible journey through the highly intricate and complex fractalized realm of the avant-garde.

Our leader on this journey, introducing himself simply as “Mat”, is Brooklyn’s Mat Maneri, the son of the late improvisational clarinetist master and microtonal theorist Joe Maneri. Fittingly, the instrument of choice for Mat is nearly as esoteric to the average jazz listener as the form of jazz which he composes – the viola.

The quintet, comprised of Mat on the viola, Oscar Noreiga on reeds, Craig Taborn on piano, Ed Schuller on bass and Randy Peterson on drums calmly took their places as the house lights fell, providing an interesting emotional contrast to the seemingly chaotic musical display about to occur. With Noriega seated to his left and the remaining members of the quintet falling in behind as space would permit, Maneri introduced the group and then turned, nodding to Peterson to get our journey underway.

As is the case with fractal geometry, the beauty and understanding of free jazz is often found in the spaces between the seemingly chaotic, fractured edges.

Beginning with the subtlety often associated with experimental pieces, Peterson’s masterful hands offered small, seemingly unrelated rhythms across the skins while accentuating their importance with muted jabs at the cymbals. Each member of the quintet followed Peterson’s percussive introduction, slowly moving through hidden phrasings and voicings. The piece approached its climax, with Maneri and Noriega swaying to a rhythm we felt rather than heard, offering patterns and notes which seemed counterintuitive to the beats being laid down by Peterson and Schuller, yet were connected through their nonlinear form.

The wall of sound reached its final climax with Taborn bounding off his bench between notes to reach into the soundboard and pluck strings from within, highlighting harmonics which the hammers simply could not produce, while Schuller expertly fingered the strings of the upright sending forth deep tones which travelled up and down a rhythmic spectrum. Then as if the entire group recognized that the moment was gone, each voice faded as Peterson quietly closed the first leg of the journey.

As we recover from the quintet’s first offering of the evening, Mat quickly conferences with the group before declaring that “It’s so much fun to be here”, followed by a count of “1…2…3…eh, I don’t know” that trails off as Peterson once again sets forth upon his cymbals. Quick on Peterson’s heels is Noriega, a long wailing note from his bass clarinet enveloping the group as each contributes their uniquely different yet connected phrasings, voicings, rhythms and intonations. The group deftly moves between notes, once again carrying us to the edge, Schuller alternating between fingering and drawing the bow across the strings of the upright, the highs and lows eerily penetrating the overall structure.

The third piece, undertaken by the quintet according to Mat’s instructions as leader, “Let’s start with Craig, then you (Peterson), then you (Schuller), then you (Noriega) and me.” Showcasing the talent of Taborn, whose fingers dance up and down the keyboard, with notes layered upon voicings hidden within chords. Peterson’s cymbals accentuate Taborn’s dancing, along with sharp, singularly violent controlled hits of the toms.

With Schuller deftly plucking over Noriega’s intonations, he can be faintly heard skatting to accentuate the notes emanating from the bass, offering an unexpected sixth instrument to the overall structure. The third piece brings us to the edge, only to gently let us down to its exhausted conclusion.

For our final plunge of the evening into the complex and enlightening world of free jazz, we were led by the highly capable rhythm section of Peterson and Schuller, accentuated by Taborn’s mastery of the ivories. As with every exploration undertaken by the quintet on this night, the phrasings and voicings from Mat’s viola can be found along the edges of each piece often delving into the open spaces which provide the conceptual backbone of his compositions. Following a similar, yet somehow independent structure, the group guides one another along the upward path towards a tonal, syncopated climax.

Our collective journey concluded, we relished in the unique and incredibly satisfying musical experience that can only be described as a complex system of chaotic voicings and rhythms presented by a truly unique composer and his group.

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