Aerie - Hatch and Host '2015

Tracks list

Band names whose meanings are obscure and whose pronunciations are uncertain can
be annoying, so to clarify, an aerie is the nest of a bird of prey. It can be
pronounced airy or eerie, though the music on the debut of this multi-national
quintet is neither. Instead, this overtly contemporary jazz veers between
bucolic at one extreme and visceral at the other, with flowing improvisations
contained within bold compositional frameworks that evolve organically this way
and that. The eight compositions, penned by Ingo Hipp (Germany) are free of
cliché and satisfyingly vital for that. 

The dual saxophones of Hipp and Sam Comerford (Ireland) largely direct the
narrative, with guitarist Laurent Meteau (Switzerland) very much part of the
front line; drummer Matt Jacobson (Ireland) and bassist Peedu Kass (Estonia)
offer far more than just a dynamic rhythmic platform, bringing textural nuance
to the mix. Such nationally diverse groups, whilst never exactly rare in jazz,
are increasingly the norm, though its not often that a debut offering sounds as
cohesive or boasts such a confident identity as AERIE does on Hatch and Host. 

The gradually intertwining, staccato saxophones of Phyton and the curiously
titled 257121 282287 suggest the influence of Marius Neset, and Aerie adopts a
similarly episodic and exhilarating approach, where complex unison and layered
lines mutate fluidly. Meteau is central to the sometimes knotty, King
Crimson-esque progressions, though the quintet is as likely to duck down paths
where folkloric lyricism and vaguely psychedelic extrapolations co-exist
(Whatever), where the meditative gives way to doomy, free-form jazz-rock and
back again (Antagonism) or where ploughing riffs and circular motifs alternate
with looser jams (Viper) that sound like a meeting between Ornette Coleman and
Jerry Garcia. 

The template, both within individual compositions and from one track to the
next, is never exactly the same, though the differences are, for the most part,
not so stark. Traveler, for example, evolves from brushes-led
melodicism—with a seductive solo from Kass—through quietly
noodling abstraction to grooving, rhythmically punchy terrain, which Hipp
navigates in an impressive solo of some swagger. I Quit, likewise, grows from
quietly rustling beginnings to embrace stirring unison motifs and, through
Comerford, straight-ahead exploration. The standout track, stylistically, is
Temple of the Sea, whose ethereal, hushed harmonics and subtle percussive colors
draw a simple, alluring veil over the set. 

Host and Hatch strikes an immediate chord on both an emotional and a cerebral
level, though for the patient, repeated listens serve up greater rewards. A
vibrant debut that demands an encore.

Tracklist:
01. Aerie - Python (7:58)
02. Aerie - 257121 282287 (6:47)
03. Aerie - Whatever... (7:25)
04. Aerie - Antagonism (7:32)
05. Aerie - Viper (4:50)
06. Aerie - Traveler (6:43)
07. Aerie - I Quit. (6:21)
08. Aerie - Temple of the Sea (7:13)

Related artists