Synopsis/Zentralquartett - Auf Der Elbe Schwimmt Ein Rosa Krokodil

Intakt 142

In historically criticizing the international breadth of improvised music, we’re still often quite apt to pigeonhole certain countries and regions as having a specific approach to sound. There’s the “Cleveland sound” exemplified by Albert Ayler and his cohorts, and the Instant Composers’ Pool defines jazz in Holland. The Germans blow their heads off and we all know what the English do. Of course, this is a patent fiction and thankfully there are records like the debut slab of Synopsis, first issued by FMP in 1974 and now in digital form on Intakt. The group consists of pianist Ulrich Gumpert, drummer Günter Sommer, trombonist Conny Bauer and alto/soprano saxophonist Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky. Apart from two LPs in the ‘70s, they have recorded under the Zentralquartett moniker over the past two decades.

Being from the East of Germany and operating under the Iron Curtain, the appropriation of influences was a little different – sure, they could learn from records and from their local peers, but few other European (let alone American) improvisers made their way past the wall during the music’s infancy. Yet the East doesn't really factor into the idea of a uniquely "German" approach to free music, though the overblown paint peeling of Petrowsky’s alto may grant him kinship with Brötzmann. Such frantic pyrotechnics aren’t the basis for the group’s improvisations. But talking about what Synopsis is not doesn’t make much room for what defines them.

The set begins with “Krisis Eines Krokodils,” a poised counterpoint to the group’s immediate pan-continental kin as Gumpert’s delicate Monkian fancies jibe with trombone multiphonics and Sommer’s detailed, rattling propulsion. The fact that one is not waiting for a primed Bennink yell to break the silence enables one to relax and take in breath, coiled and tart sounds, upper-register plinks and massaging brushes. The piece ebbs and flows gradually in punctuated waves, Sommer’s tide a singular rhythm yet not indifferent to the circularity of African heartbeats. As Petrowsky screams and Bauer chortles, there’s an ease akin to rested breathing that makes their crescendos seem ever so natural. Sommer and Gumpert are a gorgeous tandem, symphonic arpeggios and a crystalline lushness, and their well-practiced duets offer a solid foundation for collectivity. Jaki Byard-esque rolling rings out from underneath Petrowsky’s alto whinnies, providing an introduction to a stately and unified head that closes out the piece amidst percussive thrash.

There are kwela-inspired folksy moments in “Take IV,” a transposition of Chris McGregor onto something of a parlor melody before racket ensues. “Mehr Aus Teutschen Landen” is a German folk song, winsome romance stomped on by Sommer’s toms before a trio of trombone, piano and drums take on the anthemic call as Petrowsky’s frantic skree hurtles over the top. A synopsis of exactly “what” might be the question to ask, for this quartet’s approach to improvisation is the antithesis of summation. Rather clearly, Synopsis/Zentralquartett are a musical launching pad.

~Clifford Allen