Alliance for Improvised Music

New Show


TEST MAKES THE GRADE
(Daniel Carter, Sabir Mateen, Matt Heyner, Tom Bruno)

Nov. 6, Duke Coffeehouse.

Co-sponsored by WXDU and Duke Major Attractions


TEST is a mind-bending quartet featuring Daniel Carter and Sabir Mateen on reeds, flutes, etc., Tom Bruno on drums, and Matt Heyner on the bass. In my opinion, this group embodies the true spirit of creative improvised music.

Daniel Carter is a reeds player (mostly) who will play with just about anyone as long as there are no leaders. He has played with Other Dimensions in Music (with William Parker, Roy Campbell Jr., and Rashid Bakr) for over 15 years, is part of the Organic Trio (with Cooper-Moore and William Parker), One World Ensemble (with Sabir Mateen, Susie Ibarra, Wilbur Morris, and Yuko Fujiyama), Post Prandials (with Sabir Mateen and a bunch of rock/noise/improv musicians whose names I don't recall), and probably about 10 more bands I haven't heard of. Together with Mateen and drummer Dave Nuss, they form the group Tenor Rising, Drums Expanding featuring Mateen on tenor sax (mostly) and Carter and Nuss on percussion (mostly). Sabir Mateen has also done a similar record with Matt Heyner and Dave Nuss. His own trio just released on Eremite with Lawrence Cook and Jon Voigt, and he did a duo record with Tom Bruno for Eremite earlier this year. Heyner is best known for his work with the No Neck Blues Band (also featuring Dave Nuss), who pump out percussive groove-infected improv like few others can.

If this seems confusing and unfamiliar, don't be alarmed. With all the cross-pollination going on here it's hard for even the dedicated fans to keep up with what's going on. And it doesn't make things any easier when the records are released on tiny labels in small quantities and are often only available on vinyl. So to give you a good idea as to what's available I'll do my best to summarize some of the records I've heard. For a better review of this stuff you should check out the zine Badaboom Gramophone #3, which has the most comprehensive No Neck Blues Band and William Parker bios I've seen to date along with other outsider bands, mostly from the ambiguous "rock" genre.

Tenor Rising, Drums Expanding have released 2 records on the Sound@1 label out of New York City, and the Mateen/Heyner/Nuss record is also on that label. The first Tenor Rising record is one-sided and in an edition of 300, and contains one of the most high-energy ecstatic blowouts I've ever heard. The second Tenor Rising record is a beautiful picture disc and is more of a combination of jazz and rock improv, and therefore more closely resembles the Mateen/Heyner/Nuss record. While chances of finding these records in the Triangle are slim, you can probably order them from Two Way Pull in Chapel Hill or try ordering through the distribution folks at Forced Exposure.

The Eremite records should be a little easier to find in stores and feature a more traditional jazz sound. The Tom Bruno/Sabir Mateen album is a 45 minute piece recorded live in a New York City subway station. The sound is surprisingly good and the two weave some really beautiful lines together.

The Test performance at the Vision Festival in May was one of the three best performances in 8 evenings of outstanding music. They come on with such energy that you're immediately floored, and then you start to wonder at the beauty of Mateen and Carter's interweaving sax/flute lines. With three Test records scheduled to be released this fall (an LP on Eremite and CD's on AUM Fidelity and Ecstatic Peace), this band is ready to explode onto the national scene. One of New York's best kept secrets, TEST is not to be missed.

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