The Exu – The Exu

Discus

Saxophonist James Mainwaring has teamed up with bassist Dave Kane and drummer Emil Karlsen, and as The Exu they have laid down twelve short shots in the arm that find the trio raking through their record collections and coming up with a suite that defies logic and sees them chasing whichever muse might briefly appear. Composition duties are split between Dave and James, but Emil’s subtle insinuation and willingness to flex are integral to the album.

All the way through the forty-odd minutes, James’s tone is always playful and the rhythm section is constantly adjusting, stepping carefully at times or with a cheery swagger at others. There is an echo of ’50s and ’60s jazz in the bright-eyed momentum of opener “Riddle Me This”, and the percussive textures are sharp and crisp; while on “Know Time”, the bass stands out, nimble and surefooted, sticking to the path, the antithesis to the searching sax. The piece chases its tail at points, but is ever joyful, thrilled at being able to wander anywhere.

There are slow, sleepy and soft textures on “B4B”; it meanders with absolutely no agenda. Every route is open as an option and it is interesting how often the percussion becomes more textural, allowing any rhythm to be administered by the bass. It leaves freedom for the percussion and often this takes things in unexpected directions. The feeling that they are not burdened by any jazz expectations echoes through all the tracks. On “Waffles”, they splash notes about like some musical equivalent of an action painting and I guess considering they are named after a Jean-Michel Basquiat artwork, then perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by this sense of liberation.

There is a drifting, bleary feeling to “That’ll Do It”, the sax almost out of hearing range at times, with the crack of the rimshots the only thing keeping it from disappearing. “The Field Next To The Road” has more of a folk influence, but with obsessive repetition rearing its head, while “Kurt” has an almost hip-hop swagger. The sax is sultry here and the whole thing cuts a real groove and shows yet another side to the trio, even when the vein-popping sax bursts from nowhere. It goes straight from that into something more measured but less structured; a few percussive markers plot a course for the dizzying sax as the bass steps out, its surreptitious progress delight to follow.

As we move towards the end of the album, so things take another turn. The proggy stop-start sax on “Bug Glass” is entwined with a stomping, cymbal-led glam beat while the bass goes all tasty and twisty. It is a bit of a party starter, even with the sax gurgling and gurning; but the final two tracks are much more reflective, as if they need to slow things down before they all become carried away. The rhythmic interaction on final track “Berne It Up” is kind of loose, but they don’t lose sight of the roving sax. The sudden four-to-the-floor cymbal-led strut is a surprising dash for the prize before it cuts out and silence resumes.

This is a joyful and really good-natured collection that once again finds a sympathetic trio on exquisite form, tying the listener up in unexpected knots and then soothing their brow and lulling them before the next switchback. Free music, grunge, hip-hop, bebop; it is all in there, lurking, awaiting discovery and The Exu is well worth your time.

-Mr Olivetti-