Angelika Niescier – Chicago Tapes

Born in Poland but based in Germany since her teens, Angelika Niescier quickly made a name for herself in her adopted country and more broadly across Europe.

But the musician’s curiosity and thirst for discovery soon led her to collaborate with established New York-based instrumentalists such as double bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Tishawn Sorey. More recently, thanks to her relationship with Chicago cellist Tomeka Reid, the altist turned her attention to the Windy City, and this CD reflects her encounter with the cream of the Chicago scene.

On compositions of her own, Niescier has assembled a first-rate sextet in which her incandescent alto saxophone blends its often rough sound with that of Dave Rempis‘ tenor and alto saxophones and the sharp and vibrating timbre of Nicole Mitchell‘s flute, undoubtedly the most internationally known of the five Chicago musicians gathered here.

This trio of wind players produces a dense, even thick sound that is nonetheless fluid, and it is Jason Adasiewicz‘s vibraphone that brings a breath of fresh air to the ensemble, opening up the sound space in a beautiful way. While these musicians’ improvisations frequently border on free jazz, the leader’s compositions are nonetheless solidly structured, and the ensemble exudes a flamboyant lyricism.

As for the rhythm section of double bass and drums, it supports the whole with an energetic pulse that energizes the soloists’ contributions as well as the passages where the three wind players intertwine their inventive melodic lines.

All in all, this is an excellent recording from a musician in her fifties who never stops exploring sounds and forms.