Syncopated silence
There was a little red suitcase stuffed with treasures from unknown regions and flavors of dubious precidence. “Cogito, ergo sum” said Descartes, seeing in doubt a motor for lives and deaths in dangerous surroundings. One of those treasures answered to the name Jazz. It was syncho-cratically lively and from uncertainty was made his only truth in an improvised dance with passion. Pete Robbins asked for a well-loaded cup of joe while Aphrodite made sweet love to the little case full of dreams cut short. Finishing his cup of coffee, taking Jazz into his hands and whispering sweetly to his sax. His sound was juicy and gave new meaning to each and every of his fringes. Aphrodite revealed her body to the rhythm of a Silent Z which was born there like the new creation of Robbins which is now coming to us live. Can you dig it?
Pete Robbins grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, outside Boston. With just 6 years he started playing piano at 9 clarinet and sax at 12 while he admired musicians like Miles, Bird and other Jazz Olympus gods. He moved to Brooklyn in 2002 and he has already recorded with talents such as John Zorn, Mark Dresser, Craig Taborn, Ben Monder, Mario Pavone and Kenny Wollesen and is considered one of the greatest creative forces in jazz today. His latest album has been recorded live and he defines it as “This is my electro-acoustic quintet that plays everything from highly structured compositions to free group improvisations. Cornet, guitar, and bass use a variety of effects pedals to explore wide-ranging timbral possibilities. Hard grooves and rock textures often dominate the sound”. His band is a top-flight one under the name of Trans-Atlantic Quartet and they accompany him touring around the world, as well as other groups such as the Unnamed Quartet. When Pete Robbins talks about his touring band in Europe he says “This quartet tours Europe extensively, playing a mix of my older and newer pieces. Compared to siLENT Z, the focus is less on timbre and semi-structured improvisation and more on exploring the details of the harmonic and rhythmic elements of the compositions in a clear and convincing manner. A live album may be coming in 2011... stay tuned…” And we're waiting, Pete.
Text by Juan Carlos Romero
Photo courtesy of Pete Robbins