Although active for at least two decades, London trombonist Alan Tomlinson has kept a very low profile, but his participation in the London Improvisers Orchestra has been slowly pulling him out of the shadows -- he was the featured soloist in one of Steve Beresford's impromptu conducted concertos on the ensemble's debut album, Proceedings. Trap Street reveals the breadth of his talent to a generation of free improv fans who never came across his 1980 solo LP. But despite the fact that Tomlinson's name comes first on the bill, this is a trio session and Beresford (on electronics and objects, no piano) and Roger Turner (drums) are crucial to the resulting music. All three like to explore small, unusual, or accidental sounds. The trombone becomes an extension of the human body: it moans, farts, grumbles, and screams. It can sing too, but it seems to be reluctant to do so. The electronics are quirky, playful, constantly on the move. Even when they stand relatively still, you can feel that they're just waiting to respond to a sound from the other instruments. Buzzes answer moans; soft bleeps intertwine with spitting sounds. Turner spends as much time handling tiny percussion instruments as playing the drum kit, and loudness has little to do with the type of activity he chooses. Acute listening is the key aspect of this trio's music. The quieter it gets, the more gripping it becomes, as can be witnessed in N2 and the last third of E5. Seven of the 11 tracks are short, four minutes and under, which gives the album a pleasant fast pace. Shortness is not always a good feature in free improv, but this trio makes it sound convincing. E3 (one minute nine seconds) and N5 (one minute 58) say all they have to say, instead of sounding like fragments. This is excellent free improv of the more abstract kind. ~ François Couture, Rovi

1		E1
2		Nº 1
3		E2
4		N2
5		E3
6		EC3
7		E4
8		W4
9		Nº 5
10		E5
11		W7

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