Album of the Day: Agile Experiments “Alive in the Empire” (Dave De Rose).
Arguably, there is very little that can beat the thrill of live improvised music. Witnessing a group of accomplished musicians apply themselves to not only a pure form of musical expression, but at the same time in sync with each other. Not easily done, and an incredible feat of listening.
Drummer and bassist Dave De Rose has been leading performances of his ever-revolving Agile Experiments since 2015, first performing under that name outside of Brixton Village’s Agile Rabbit pizzeria. The aim being, to collaborate with other musicians via improvisation in locations where the audiences will be unlikely to have ever heard such improvisation before.
In recent pre-lockdown months, Agile Experiments became a fixture at Hackney’s Empire Bar. Each month De Rose welcomed a different line-up of musicians; age, experience and background varying widely; and this is what makes Agile Experiments so exciting. Outside of their respective comfort zones and avoiding any pandering to audience tastes or expectations, the resulting music has an edge. Whilst you could also describe it as improv that isn’t afraid of groove (see “Alive III”), De Rose himself calls it “avant-garde step”, tongue firmly in cheek.
“Alive in the Empire” captures the original trio of De Rose on drums with Dan Nicholls on electronics and master improviser John Edwards on bass, supplemented by semi-regular collaborator George Crowley on saxophone and FX. Suffice to say the recording is an excellent reflection of the exhilarating evening in November 2019. A packed Empire Bar, amid the London Jazz Festival. I’m not sure they were ready, but they lapped it up. “Alive..” is a bittersweet reminder of how enjoyable those monthly gatherings were, now impossible due to the Covid lockdown. I hope they will return soon. Stream and order on Bandcamp via the link:
Alive in the Empire by Agile Experiments
(Oliver Brunetti)
