By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilian noise jazz quartet Vaso will launch their new album, QTV009, live at Audio Rebel in Botafogo tonight, July 22nd. Known for their radical free jazz, unique soundscapes and live improvisations, Vaso features Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov on tenor sax; Cadu Tenorio on violin, amplified objects, and live sound design; Felipe Zenícola on bass and electric bass; and Paulo Dantas on soprano sax, and guitar.
“I think all the members of the group are interested in the practice of collective improvisation, not necessarily linked to the language of Jazz, in the strictest sense,” Dantas told The Rio Times. “I think that’s one of the aspects that characterizes the project, the possibility of including elements from very different backgrounds with ‘accents’ of Drone, Noise and also Jazz.”
“In particular, what interests me about collective improvisation,” Dantas continued, “is the real possibility of surprises and having to react to them in the short term, which, in my view, only occurs when playing with others. There’s always some new proposal, some unexpected sound during the performance and if I am aware, the question is always ‘what do I do now?’. I learn a lot in the process.”
Vaso’s album QTV009, is the result of one night of live collective improvisation. Pedro Azevedo and Yago Franco recorded the quartet during a performance held at Audio Rebel in Botafogo on February 4th. Emygdio Costa then mixed and mastered the recording and independent label Quintavant Qtv released it online on July 16th.
That show marked the birth of Vaso as it was their first performance. “The project was born spontaneously,” Cadu Tenorio told The Rio Times. “I had a show scheduled in Audio Rebel and wanted to create a new formation for a free improvisation set. I also wanted to invite Paulo Dantas to do something and I thought this would be a great opportunity.”
“Initially, we were a trio with Alex, who was already a long-time partner, Paulo and me,” Tenorio added. “Then two weeks before the show, I had started to record another job with Felipe in the studio, and decided to invite him to participate. I thought he would complete the team perfectly.”
“And that’s about it, we did this show, we recorded it. It was the first meeting of this group and it was only joy. The album captures this first encounter.”
Tenorio and Alexander Zhemchuzhnikov are old friends and long-time collaborators, both performing as members of the Brazilian band, Sobre a Maquina. Together they provided live improvisational musical accompaniment for the SILENT|LOUD cinematic concert and screening of “Fall of the House of Usher,” last year. They, as well as Dantas and Zenícola, who also a member of the Brazilian instrumental trio Chinese Cookie Poets, are known for their side projects, collaborations, ongoing experiments with sounds and live performances in venues throughout the city including Audio Rebel.
“Audio Rebel is like our second home,” Tenorio said of the increasingly popular Botafogo music store and its live performance space. “I’m always there, playing and recording. Most of us have this special relationship with this place. The site is of paramount importance in the Carioca scene today, I would say that it’s the place where everything is.”
Speaking about the record label, Tenorio added, “Quint Avant is a movement, a scene, something that ended up being much greater than anyone imagined.”
Vaso’s show is scheduled to begin at 8PM tonight.
What: Vaso QTV009 Album Launch
When: Wednesday, July 22nd, 8PM.
Where: Audio Rebel, R. Visconde Silva 55, Botafogo
Entrance: R$20