Jonathan Milberger, Michael Larocca, Kaelen Ghandi.
“Eighteen years of doing it and we’re still doing it,” Bob Gorry, founder of the New Haven Improvisers Collective, said from the stage of Cafe Nine. “The pandemic stopped us for a bit, but we’re back.”
He was referring not only to the NHIC workshops that have begun again at Never Ending Books, but to the fact that, on Tuesday night, he was again hosting musicians, and performing himself, for a night of improvised music at the music-scene anchor on State and Crown.
NHIC founder Bob Gorry got up to introduce the first trio of the evening, Kaelen Ghandhi on saxophones, Michael Larocca on drums, and Jonathan Milberger on saxophones. “The last gig they had was in January 2020, right before … all that happened,” Gorry said. “So I have the feeling this is going to be something special.”
Gorry was right. The trio charged out of the gate in a burst of energy, with Larocca fueling Ghandi’s and Milberger’s journey to reaching a comfortably uncomfortable spot. The three built the music in intensity until they reached a fever pitch. Then, all at once, they dropped the energy. The saxophones took turns laying down pads of sound for the other to rest upon, while Larocca provided space and atmosphere. It diminished into something like the sound of breathing, until Larocca announced a turn with a sharp attack on the snare leading to a roll. The trio then built tension again, falling into a more Middle Eastern tonality that they maintained even after another quick turn in texture led from raging from eerie. They worked their way around seemingly full circle, to the initial explosion of ideas that had put them on their musical path for the evening, but then added a coda. It begin almost pastorally, until Larocca entered with shuddering, clattering sounds that kicked the saxophones into a slurping, frantic zone, making sounds like wrenching metal. There was a moment of calm, and Ghandi glanced at his watch. As if they saw that time was up, they stopped, to loud applause.
“That was fabulous!” Gorry said with genuine appreciation, before announcing the trio of Rhinoch — Jeff Cedrone on guitar, Peter Riccio on drums, and Gorry on bass. Rhinoch, he said, was “influenced by krautrock — you can say that now — but hopefully moving things a bit forward, so stay tuned.”
Rhinoch hit a groove right away, as if they’d begun a pop song mid-solo and proceeded to improvise from there. They steadily began to take it all apart. Riccio kept driving time and Gorry laid down the foundation of a tonality, throwing out rhythmic and harmonic ideas to feed the music, giving Cedrone the space to explore a variety of melodic and tonal ideas. The trio began its second improvisation on a slower feel, with Riccio and Gorry providing the bed and Cedrone responding with sparse, sneaky phrasing that opened up into something psychedelic. The group’s third groove was pure ’70s riffage, thick and sweet, but the next idea took them into more angular territory. At a certain moment, Cedrone knelt down, adjusted his effects, and let loose a raucous tone that put the music in a whole new spot. The crowd responded with healthy applause to all of it.
Gorry then invited saxophonist Paul McGuire to join them. McGuire’s presence changed the tone. All four musicians began with pixellated phrases, but McGuire and Cedrone quickly found a common musical language, deepening and broadening the sound. Encouraged, at the end of that improvisation, Gorry then invited the members of the first trio to expand the band further.
“We’re going to play one last free-for-all here,” he said. The two saxophonists took their places. Larocca spread cymbals and other percussion instruments around on the stage floor, within reach of his sticks. The three saxophones, bass, and guitar made a cohesive, rising sound, and they were off.
“Thanks for hanging out with us and doing this thing,” Gorry said with gratitude at the end, amid further applause. “We’re all in this together.”
The New Haven Improvisers Collective next meets at Never Ending Books on April 25. Anyone is welcome to join or to listen. See the calendar for Never Ending Books for more details.