Tracklist:

1. Nebula [15:01]

2. Fluttering [07:47]

3. 2 phone Addicts [02:53]

4. It Doesn't Work Like That! [17:01]

5. Discombobulating [11:28]

6. A Precarious Situation [13:34]

7. Ballad For Bacchanalia Harbor [07:10]

 

Line-up:

Herb Robertson - trumpet, cornet, mutes

Frank Gratkowski - alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet

Julien Petit - tenor & baritone saxophones

Marcin Oleś - double bass

Bartłomiej Brat Oleś - drums

 

Reviews:

 

Featuring Herb Robertson on trumpets, mutes & compositions, Frank Gratkowski on alto sax & clarinets, Julien Petit on tenor & bari saxes, Marcin Oles on double bass and Bartlomiej Brat Oles on drums. It is always great to hear the ever-inspired Oles brothers playing with the cream of improvisers like David Murray, Ken Vandermark, Chris Speed and Erik Friedlander. Here they are with two other giants, the unstoppable Herb Robertson and the ubiquitous Frank Gratkowski, plus a fine tenor & bari players named Julien Petit. They begin quietly and cautiously on "Nebula", which features Herb on trumpet, Frank on bass clarinet & Julian on bari sax all darting magically around one another, building in intensity as they go. Considering that I hadn't heard of Mr. Petit before this, he sounds pretty great. "Fluttering" begins with some suspenseful mallet work from Brat with distant, floating horns soon entering. "2 Phone Addicts" erupts freely the quintet in a powerful flurry of activity that is focused and free simultaneously. "It Doesn't Work Like That!" simmers with more spacious, free activity that features some strong fluttering horns. Throughout this disc the consisting amazing Herb Robertson spins and twists his trumpets inside-out, always pushing those around him to reach deeper within and higher to the heavens and beyond. "Discombobulating" has a trumpet-led trio section that is just astonishing. Marcin's contrabass sounds haunting as he leads the piece, "A Precarious Situation", which also features some inspired bass clarinet from Frank. Here we can yet another gem from Herb Robertson, the Brothers Oles and their international crew. 

 

(BLG, Downtown Music Gallery)