Label:
Freedom – FLP 40118
Format:
Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue / Country: UK / Released: 1974
(UK,
laminated cover)
Style:
Free Jazz, Free Improvisation
Recorded at
Fonorama Studios, Milan, 16th March 1968.
Producer
– Alan Bates, Mario Nicalaio
Engineer
– Livio Civiera
Photography
By [Back Cover] – Jean-Pierre Maurer
Photography
By [Front Cover] – Ib Skovgaard Peterson
Design
[Sleeve] – Hamish Grimes
A1
- The Aloe And The Wild Rose ....................................................
14:22
Written-By – Brand
A2
- Hamba Khale! .............................................................................
2:16
Written-By – Brand
B1
- To Elsa ........................................................................................
7:20
Written-By – Barbieri
B2
- Eighty First Street ........................................................................
8:36
Written-By – Barbieri
Gato
Barbieri – tenor saxophone
Dollar
Brand – piano, cello
A
real sleeper – and one of the treasures of the Freedom series! The
album's a rare meeting between Argentine tenor player Gato Barbieri and South
African pianist Dollar Brand – a true global meeting of the jazz minds, and a
recording that's stronger than most of the work either player was recording at
the time! The format is incredibly spare – just tenor and piano, plus some
occasional cello work by Brand – dark and angular, but also filled with small
flowers of hope, flowering in the spontaneous presence of these two titans.
Tracks are long, with a free flowing quality that's infused with soul and
spirit.
On
his second release after recording the Umiliani film score for the “Una Bella
Grinta” movie, Dollar Brand teams up
with Gato Barbieri to make a pretty hard hitting, but low key recording which
really highlights both the sensitivities and ferocity of Gato Barbieri’s
playing and introduces yet another side to this enigmatic player.
In
many ways, Confluence feels like an exercise in contrasting shades and dynamic
with the really legato modal playing of Dollar Brand, who plays the perfect
supporting role, while Gato wails and screeches and honks his way through the
recordings giving loads of light and shade textures.
There
are moments of pure ‘Free’ Jazz but mostly its an Avant Garde Jaz record in the
style of early ECM records. There is a softening behind these heavy blows and a
lightness that peers out of the dark chaos of the playing.
This is a
collaboration in the true sense of the word. Alternating between scintillating,
angry blasts of saxophone and moments of pure beauty (Dollar Brand at his best
and most atmospheric on both piano and cello), this is both sparse and
in-your-face at the same time. Beautifully recorded in Milano in march, 1968
(lots of atmosphere that perfectly matches that dark, mysterious cover art).
Confluence
was originally released in Europe and later in the US with a different sleeve
design from the one shown above. It was reissued later and renamed Hamba Khale!
which translates to ‘Farewell’ (to the dead) literally “go Well” in Xhosa
language. Pretty, Frantic, Thoughtful and energetic all at once. A sweet little
Jazz record that while it takes work from the listener, is well worth the time.
If
you find it, buy this album!
