HUMANIZATION 4TET “Live in Madison”

Ayler Records 134 cd

Personnel:

Luis Lopes – electric guitar
Rodrigo Amado – tenor saxophone
Aaron González – bass
Stefan González – drums

Cd Tracks:

1. Bush Baby ♫
2. Jungle Gymnastics ♫
3. Long March For Frida Kahlo
4. Big Love
5. Two Girls ♫
6. Dehumanization Blues ♫

Release Information:

Recorded live at Audio For The Arts by Anna Weisling – Madison U.S. July 8^th 2011. Mixed and Mastered by Joaquim Monte at Namouche Studios, Lisbon, Portugal. Produced by Luís Lopes. Executive production Stephane Berland for Ayler Records 134 (2013). Design by Stephane Berland. All photos by António Julio Duarte.
Very special thanks to Dennis and Carol Gonzalez, António Julio Duarte, Joaquim Monte, Pedro Costa, Andy Durta, Dave Dove, Damon Smith, Pedro Moreno, Brian Nothing, Nicole Pacelli, Frank Rosaly, Mitch Cocanig and Brooke Jackson.

Press Release:

In June 2011, a few month after the release on Ayler Records of their second recording, Electricity, the quartet of Luís Lopes (guitar), Rodrigo Amado (tenor sax), Aaron González (bass) and Stefan González (drums) went on a 10-city US East Coast tour, passing through Dallas, Austin, Houston, New Orleans, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, Chicago and Madison. That last evening in Madison, there was plenty of great energy in the air and the quartet was in full gear for their typical tight mix of free jazz, rock, funk and bluesy hard bop. On tour with them was photographer António Júlio Duarte and the disc comes in a limited edition with a 12-page booklet of his photos from the band’s trip.

Reviews:

“On retrouve les frères Gonzales au sein du Humanization Quartet, formation qui propose avec “Live in Madison” (révélation !) un disque particulièrement décapant. D’un côté le saxophone ténor de Rodrigo Amando, au souffle aylérien à décorner les boeufs et au débit de tronçonneuse déglinguée, de l’autre, la guitare électrique sauvage et bruitiste de Luis Lopes (visiblement davantage marqué par Sonic Youth que par Wes Montgomery), le tout sur une rythmique véritablement déchaînée. Bref, de la musique qui déménage, à mille lieues du CD de salsa que notre farceur de rédacteur en chef m’avait glissé par erreur dans la pochette!”  Pascal Rozat / Jazz Magazine

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“The portuguese electric guitarist and blazing tenorist Rodrigo Amado, steady bassist Aaron González and splashy Stefan González on drums have emerged from Wisconsin with this new set. Recorded in 2011 at Audio for the Arts, the CD is a rollicking six-song set (five originals plus a jumpy, prodding jam on Arthur Blythe’s “Bush Baby”). Lopes’ guitar can be funky with lots of wah-wah, chords and single notes, but his solo voice here is mostly absent. The aptly titled, dense “Jungle Gymnastics” is a free-jazz free-for-all. Amado’s beefy horn drives the album, charging with steady, solemn advances on “Long March For Frida Kahlo.” The slippery rock cadences of “Two Girls” become a center for pritely polyphonic careening”  John Ephland / Downbeat

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“This is the third release of the 4tet after the self-titled and Electricity (Clean Feed/Ayler, 2008/2010) and was recorded at the end of a ten-dates East Coast tour in Madison, Wisconsin. Though the 4tet is credited as guitarist Luis Lopes guitar‘ project it operates as a band with no leader. This recording present the quartet in full gear, bursting with flowing energy and passion, presenting its own blend of fiery free jazz, muscular funk and bluesy hard bop. Within this energetic and inspired performance there are variations. The only cover, Arthur Blythe (b.1940 sax), alto‘s “Bush Baby,” features the soulful post-bop roots of the quartet members. Lopes’ “Jungle Gymnastics” features himself in an intense, uncompromising interplay with tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado (b.1964) saxophone that references the raw one of Peter Brotzmann (b.1941 reeds) and Sonny Sharrock (1940 – 1994) guitar, electric in the seminal Last Exit. The tight, telepathic rhythm section of the González brothers propel Lopes’ distorted guitar lines on “Long March For Frida Kahlo” and Amado’s powerful hard-bop soloing on “Two Girls” , melting supple, funky pulse with the direct and rough playing of Lopes and the muscular one of Amado. The quartet closes with the volcanic and dark “Dehumanization Blues,” a vehicle for explosive solos by all the quartet members”  Eyal Hareuveni / All About Jazz New York

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“É provável que os habitantes de Madison Wisconsin, que tivessem ideia da música que se faz em Portugal associassem a plangência, fatalismo e xailes negros. Se assim era, os que acorreram ao Áudio for the Arts, na noite de 8 de Julho de 2011, tiveram uma surpresa. O Humanizariam 4tet de Luís Lopes (guitarra), Rodrigo Amado (sax) e dos irmãos Aaron (contrabaixo) e Stefan Gonzalez bateria já tinha dois excelentes discos de estúdio – Humanizariam 4tet e Electricity – mas este live captado no final de uma tournée americana vai mais longe em incandescência e entrosamento. Do funk-rock maníaco de “Bush Baby” à fúria corrosiva de “Dehumanization Blues”, o fogo de barragem é implacável e não deixa ao ouvinte outra saída senão a rendição incondicional”  José Carlos Fernandes / Time Out Lisboa ∗∗∗∗∗ (5 em 5)

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“[…] é na sessão com o enfático Rodrigo Amado e com a osmótica secção rítmica dos irmãos Aaron e Stefan González que se verifica uma túrgida oratória jamais tolhida pelas suas próprias aspirações. Restaurando temas de um par de álbuns, numa lógica mais concentracionária do que expansionista, a surpresa maior é a inclusão no alinhamento de ‘Bush Baby’, de Arthur Blythe, o que de certa forma confirma haver aqui algo daquele postulado partilhado pelo Music Revelation Ensemble ou pelo Prime Time, de Ornette Coleman, que sugere que o cérebro é como um músculo e que a dança se pode passar na nossa cabeça. Fundamental!”  João Santos / Jornal EXPRESSO   ∗∗∗∗∗ (5 em 5)

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“Voilà un nom qui ne court pas les rues, Luis Lopes humanization 4tet sort un LIVE IN MADISON (Ayler Rds/Orkhestra) trempé dans le chaudron du free jazz/punk version 21e siècle. Voilà un disque bourré d’énergie, pas de répit ou si peu et même si le guitariste (Luis Lopes) semble quelquefois en retrait il nous offre des instants de tension extrême. Vous l’aurez compris, la musique du quartet est une véritable dynamite, intense et radicale, les deux Gonzales, Aaron à la contrebasse et Stefan à la batterie, propulsent littéralement la musique et le saxo ténor de Rodrigo Amado est telle une tornade ; ce live est simplement monstrueusement magnifique et puissant. Entre un premier titre d’Arthur Blythe qui monte en puissance, une belle ballade Long march for Frida Kalho, et un Dehumanization Blues en forme de free/blues, ce disque vaut toutes les attentions. Jazz pour oreilles expérimentées”  Bruno Pin / …491 blog

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“Otra maravilla hecha por músicos que seguro resultarán desconocidos o semi desconocidos para una buena parte de los aficionados es “Live In Madison” del guitarrista portugués Luis Lopes y su cuarteto, denominado como Humanization 4tet, que se ajustaría muy bien a una descripción del tipo “como contemplar la libertad desde todos los ángulos” 

“La frase de arriba creo que es un reflejo claro de la temática del disco y podría quedar como resumen en una crítica corta, puesto que el trabajo, que se compone de solo seis temas, presenta variaciones en cada uno de ellos. Cada uno de los temas parece dedicado a un estilo o género concreto, en el cual la estructura, la intención no se modifican y las diferentes perspectivas llevan al mismo fin. Hay que volver a insistir -aunque en el párrafo de arriba ya queda bastante claro- que es un disco de eminente corte free, algo que se lleva siempre por bandera pero ayudado por unas bases rítmicas que le otorgan características propias a cada uno de los mismos.

Se viaja desde una atmósfera bastante enfocada hacia el rock en el primero, donde Lopes a base de distorsiones constantes crea momentos de verdadera categoría -para mi tal vez los mejores del disco- hasta los inspirados en blues en el título final, dejando en los cortes centrales, espacio para un tema muy enérgico y de difícil asimilación por parte de los oyentes menos acostumbrados, de ritmo punzante y desgarrador, para a continuación sumergirse en aguas tranquilas sin apenas perturbaciones y salir acto seguido hacia otras nuevas aventuras, donde cierto aire funk, de carácter desenfadado se hace patente.

La energía, el dinamismo y la mezcla de las bases comentadas arriba con la libertad interpretativa de los instrumentos solistas en cada ocasión van creando un adicción muy complicada de ser sacudida; salvo en el segundo, donde el ambiente puede llegar a ser irrespirable, el resto del contenido no es complicado de digerir y aporta gran entretenimiento y muy buenas sensaciones.

El disco sin lugar a dudas me ha parecido magnífico y la grabación está en consonancia, con dos instrumentos por canal, que sin llegar a ser binaural, si que se aprecian posiciones fijas y casi siempre muy correcta dispersión, que otorgan credibilidad a lo que escuchamos, algo siempre necesario. La sensación de sumergirse en el concierto y sentise espectador del mismo ha sido plenamente lograda. Da gusto escuchar música con ese nivel de calidad en todos los órdenes, de verdad”  JAZZ MAXX

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“Guitarist Luís Lopes’ Humanization 4tet tears it up for a young crowd Live In Madison on a limited edition CD (600 copies) that includes a 12-page booklet of photos from the show. It’s hard to go wrong when you’ve got brothers on bass and drums, since they have a lock that just can’t be beat. The González brothers, Aaron on bass and Stefan on drums, were raised in the heady free jazz atmosphere fostered by their father, trumpeter Dennis González. They still play with Dad in Yells At Eels, and they’re ready for anything you throw at them. The pair is deep in the pocket from the first notes of the hard grooving Bush Baby. The quartet’s version of this Arthur Blythe tune starts the show off with a bang. The unabashedly electric Lopes is a wildly unpredictable player. He also contributes three songs to the proceedings, the frenetic Jungle Gymnastics, the peaceful Long March For Frida Kahlo featuring an emotional bass solo by Aaron González, and the hard-riffing Big Love. Lopes’ guitar is worth paying attention to at all times, whether he’s soloing with abandon or egging on saxophonist Rodrigo Amado. Not that the excitable Amado needs more encouragement to take off into the outer reaches of his horn, where his sound can grow a bit strained. He’s more convincing in the middle of the tenor’s range, like his fiery solo on the set-closing Dehumanization Blues. Lopes pulls out all the stops on this one in a deranged and loud solo that finally does push Amado into ecstatic high-register screaming. A thumping drum solo interrupts everything and leads to the final recapitulation of Aaron González’s somewhat gloomy theme. The Humanization 4tet offers powerful and disruptive sounds from off the beaten track, and they’re well worth a listen”  Stuart Kremsky / The IAJRC Journal

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“Ce soir là, le guitariste Luis Lopez, le fiévreux saxophoniste ténor Rodrigo Amado et les frères Gonzalez en guise de section rythmique se sont arrêtés sur la route de Madison. Et ils ont mis le feu. Littéralement, tant leur synthèse de free rock, blues primitif, post-punk et hard bop, tel un alcool fort, saisit à la gorge. Emprunté à Arthur Blythe, le thème d’ouverture est nécessaire et suffisant pour que la messe (noire) soit dite : cette musique est celle de la virulence, des aspérités et de la rage. Devant un public de tatoués, le quartet élève la concision et la haute énergie au rang des beaux-arts, et allume des étincelles de beauté convulsive et de trépidation groovy. Eprouvante, l’aventure n’en est pas moins vibratile”  Christian Larrède / Jazz news

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“Breaking from my usual format, which is focused on musicians active on the contemporary New York scene, I jumped at the opportunity to review an album recorded live in Madison, a city that served as my home for many years before moving to Brooklyn. The album, by the Humanization 4tet, features Portuguese guitarist Luis Lopes leading a band with Rodrigo Amado (tenor saxophone), Aaron Gonzalez (bass), and Stefan Gonzalez (drums). This is the band’s third official release, following a self-titled album (Clean Feed, 2008) and Electricity (Ayler, 2010)”

Madison is not a city with a particularly active jazz or avant music scene, but as it is teeming with thousands of students, there is always a hunger for new sounds and daring art. A surprising number of bands have recorded while passing through Madison, such as Nirvana and Garbage, and adventurous labels such as Utech (based in nearby Milwaukee) further enhance the music scene. A great deal of activity also occurs on the live scene or through an underground network of house concerts. I remember hosting my own as a college student in the basement of a house on St. James Court. The city is also blessed with dedicated record stores that have persisted and even flourished in the era of downloadable music, the most spectacular being Strictly Discs on Monroe Street. It was into this environment that Luis Lopes led his band, surrounded by eager students enthralled by the freshness of the band’s sound. The recording was done live, engineered by Audio for the Arts and has some nice photos that further illustrate the atmosphere of the live performance.

The record opens with “Bush Baby,” a tune with a funky feel to it driven by the robust tenor of Amado over guitar and rhythm. Lopes shows multiple faces in his playing, moving from fluid lines to crisp, delicate deliveries. The song possesses some great narrative tension instilled in the improvised interactions between tenor and guitar, positioned above the steady propulsion of drums and bass. Amado really shines in his solo moments, as does Lopes, in turn. In the later moments, the two lead instruments construct an enticing jagged ambiance that simmers over rhythmic energy.

The following two songs, “Jungle Gymnastics” and “Long March for Frida Kahlo” reveal very different moods from the band. The first of the two features energized group interaction with all four musicians contributing to the conversation. The rhythm is far freer than on the opening track and oscillates beneath Amado’s burning melodic cuts, often producing a dense, complex mix. The following tune, the longest on the record, is pared down compared to the others on the record, with tenor and guitar, successively, out front again over shifting rhythms. But here were get to hear each individual voice in greater clarity.

“Big Love” opens with a unison melody of guitar and tenor over sparkling rhythm that showcases yet another feel for the band. Perhaps the greatest beneficiary is Amado, who is given plenty of open space to develop his own expression, while at times the band again engages in dense interactions. Aaron Gonzalez also gets his greatest exposure on bass, with a long, sure-footed solo near the end of the piece.

While all of these tunes convey an energized, fun feeling, “Two Girls” is the most obvious tune that fits into this vein, and possesses a funky, yet catchy melody that slowly gets more abstract throughout the song. By 6:30, is has become fully deconstructed, but manages to reunite before concluding. Finally, “Dehumanization Blues” closes with a cutting tenor introduction, turbulent bass, and steady drums that builds to a unity at 2:29. From that momentary meeting place, Amado explodes out and leads along until Lopes begins adding crystalline accents, crackling above tenor and rhythm. Then the leader adds searing guitar lines that feed into a rolling drum solo towards an eventual conclusion.

Humanization 4tet thrives in the live setting and one can feel the connection that they build with their assembled crowd. For anyone interested in hearing cutting edge music, check out this album, the latest accomplishment by this remarkable quartet”  Cisco Bradley / 21st Century improvised Music on the New york Scene

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“La guitare de Luís Lopes est sale. Sale et robuste. On peut lui trouver quelques airs sharrockiens voire hendrixiens. C’est une guitare hurlante et qui n’a de politesse que dans l’irrespect. Elle est soupir de sang, torture et récif. Elle broie le noir et n’enfante que du plus noir. Souvent, elle entre en querelle avec le saxo batailleur de Rodrigo Amado. A vrai dire souvent. Voire très souvent. En vérité : tout le temps. Le ténor portugais qui y déploie lyrisme et venin ne lâche jamais prise. Les deux frangins Gonzalez (Aaron: contrebasse, Stefan: batterie) mettent la finesse au placard et prennent soin de jeter la clé très loin. Ils ne sont pas dentelle mais scie. Scie acérée et tranchante. Parfois – mais rarement –, tout ce beau monde demande grâce : respiration nécessaire que se charge de pervertir à foison l’empoisonnante guitare de Luís Lopes. Chassez le naturel…”  Luc Bouquet / le son du grisli

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“Respectively, Portuguese artists Luis Lopes (guitar) and Rodrigo Amado (b.1964, saxophone) are known for aggressive tactics and forward motion at almost any tempo. There’s nothing sheepish about this live date, recorded in Madison, WI. And there’s no looking back as the band seemingly loaded up on energy drinks for this high-impact set. Lopes’ variable use of distortion techniques—among other factors—provide a razor-sharp and stinging soundstage, coupled with Amado’s rip-roaring solos. They use space as an equalizer amid snaking time changes and vibrant pulses laid out by the rhythm section. Hence, this performance must have given the audience an adrenalin rush. The quartet gels to a smacking funk-rock groove on “Two Girls.” Amado’s heavily serrated lines, abetted with screeching plaintive cries and torrential downpours underscore the ferocity of the overall vibe. They punch out a firm pulse as the frontline renders bop- like unison choruses to state the primary theme. Lopes often counters and circles Amado’s phrasings as they build tension and mix it up with a touch of skronk during the bridge. Here, the musicians throw caution to the wind, amped by the rhythm section’s punchy outline. Hence, the diverse track mix serves them well. But it’s the performers’ collective tenacity and unrelenting force-field that catapult this outing to towering heights, equating to a decidedly entertaining form-factor”  Glenn Astarita, track review of “Two Girls” / ALL ABOUT JAZZ New York

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“Une cave humide, des gens bizarres et de la bière, voila quelques mots qui pourraient décrire le humanization Quartet, goupe violemment coincé entre le Rock et le free-punk mais bizarrement classé dans le Jazz. A une époque où on a tendance à minimiser la musique, aérer les mixes et “métronomiser” les enregistrements, Luis Lopes (guitare électrique), Rodrigo Amado (sax ténor), Aaron Gonzalez (Contrebasse) et Stefan Gonzalez (batterie), n’en ont rien à foutre, clairement. Bien que cet esprit survolté peut parfois suffire à décrire un ensemble, il serait très réducteur de limiter le Humanization Quartet à cela. Ce qu’il faut retenir, c’est que l’énergie dicte tout. Comme souvent dans les musiques free, l’harmonie peut être laissée de côté au profit du rythme et des variations d’énergie. Comme souvent dans les musiques free, ça peut être plus ou moins bien fait, mais ici, c’est plus que réussi. À l’écoute du disque, on a l’impression que le quartet a deux ambiances de prédilection. La première, les riffs rythmiques (souvent en six temps) qui permettent de se focaliser sur la montée de l’énergie d’un chorus. Ce genre de phase permet d’aller chercher l’émotion dans la répétition énervée d’un schéma de rythme et de son (à la manière du drone). La seconde est un espèce de jazz ternaire décousu et volontairement foireux qui s’oppose a la première dans sa manière mécanqiue (une machine devenue folle) de remplir l’espace. Le Humanization quartet se situe donc entre Hard-Bop et Hard-Rock, et si l’énergie est celle d’un rock virulent, l’écriture des thèmes est clairement novatrice et dans une lignée jazz. Un petit bravo au passage au dernier morceau de l’album, Dehumanization Blues qui mérite vraiment d’être écouté”  Benoit Larrieu / Djam, Le jazz en papier recyclé

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“A l’écoute de l’album studio Electricity, sorti il y a deux ans à peine sur le label Ayler Records, tout portait à croire que chez l’Humanization 4tet, groupe du guitariste lusitanien Luís Lopes, l’urgence mâtinée de tension pouvait libérer toute son énergie sur scène. La pochette de ce Live In Madison ne laisse guère de doutes : l’attitude survoltée du public, comme hypnotisé par une décharge de tension, en dit plus long que n’importe quel commentaire.

Le quartet ouvre ce disque avec un inédit. Au premier abord, cette version de « Bush Baby » diffère grandement de l’originale, par le saxophoniste Arthur Blythe. Bien sûr, ce vénérable comparse de Gil Evans n’avait pas prévu la sauvagerie anguleuse du ténor de Rodrigo Amado, qui se fracasse sur la masse polyrythmique de la batterie de Stefan González . Mais l’ostinato lancinant de Lopes, qui se délite sous les coups de boutoir du saxophone, laisse entrevoir une mécanique plus subtile. Au fil des morceaux, issus du premier album, sorti en 2008 chez Clean Feed, et d’Electricity, on sent que la contrebasse languide mais tonique d’Aaron González ménage l’espace nécessaire pour que sur « Long March For Frida Kalho », par exemple, le rapport de force ne devienne pas ici l’axe central. Car Live In Madison n’est pas que bruit et fureur ; point de cérémonie vaguement punk où l’on démonterait du jazz à grand coup de watts. Au contraire, les brisures électriques surgies de ces « Jungle Gymnastics » échevelées construisent un bolide atypique et rutilant, aussi minutieux qu’inéluctable.

Il serait trop simple en effet de résumer le propos d’Humanization 4tet à une frénétique confrontation. Il n’y a pas, d’un côté, le lyrisme exacerbé d’Amado et le goût pour le mouvement qu’il démontre sur son récent “Flame Alphabet”, et de l’autre la causticité métallique de de Lopes. Évidemment, sur le « Dehumanization Blues » final, leurs échanges évoquent un free jazz et un rock qui ne seraient pas amalgamés mais violemment projetés l’un contre l’autre afin de provoquer une réaction en chaîne ; si cela reste la signature du groupe, la base rythmique conserve son rôle de centre de gravité imposant et indispensable, qui permet toutes les envolées. Les frères González mènent un train d’enfer, poussent leurs acolytes dans des retranchements apparemment sans limites. Ainsi, le groove presque léger de « Two Girls » se durcit de plus en plus jusqu’à imploser dans un bouillonnement furieux où l’on plonge avec gourmandise. Un tel déferlement de vivacité prohibe l’immobilité quoiqu’il arrive. Il ne reste qu’à danser, même de façon désordonnée. Seul compte le mouvement”  Frampi Barriaux / Citizen Jazz 

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“This disc was (well) recorded live in Madison, Wisconsin in July of 2011. Although this is the third disc by the Humanization 4tet, both Portuguese musicians (Lopes & Amado) have other projects/discs out as do the Gonzalez brothers who are members of Yells at Eels with their father Dennis as well as working with other fine players like Curtis Clark. While Luis (3), Rodrigo (1) and Aaron (1) all contribute compositions to this disc there is one cover of the classic song by Arthur Blythe called “Bush Baby” which opens this disc. “Bush Baby” features a rather funky groove with some sly, wah wah guitar from Luis and great tenor from Rodrigo. It has that fresh mid-seventies loft-jazz sound which still sounds great today by blending categories seamlessly, without regard to current trends. Both Luis on electric guitar and Rodrigo on tenor sax take a number of slamming solos throughout, filled with bent, barbed-wire spirits, twists and turns. “Jungle Gymnastics” is an appropriately titled song with is fast and furious and constantly shifting gears as it soars. Funk or punk/jazz?!? This does have some of that hybridization and unexpected changes in direction. Don’t get me wrong, not all of this is over-the-top. “Long March for Frida Kahlo” does have a more relaxed and memorable melody which elps to balance the craziness somewhat. This quartet once played here at DMG a few years ago and were amazing. This disc does capture them on a particularly inspired evening. Strong medicine for troubled times”  Bruce Lee / DOWNTONW MUSIC GALLERY

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“The Humanization 4tet, led by Lisbon-based guitarist Luís Lopes features Amado on tenor sax and the Dallas sibling rhythm team of Aaron and Stefan González on bass and drums, respectively. Recorded in Wisconsin following a short stateside tour, the quartet’s third release, Live in Madison is another example of extremely high energy in a studio setting, mixing head-banging beats with free-form thinking. Lopes parries Amado’s granular screeching with angular comping, hocketing accents and noise-themed solos, methodically sequenced and insistently delivered over the González brothers’ mosh-pit pulsing”  Tom Greenland / THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD

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“Este verano en Liubliana el Motion Trio del saxofonista Rodrigo Amado reforzado con la guitarra de Luis Lopes ofreció uno de los conciertos más potentes del festival (palabras mayores si tenemos en cuenta que el protagonista del evento era nada menos que Peter Brötzmann). No menos potente resulta la tercera entrega del Humanization 4tet que lidera Lopes también junto a Amado y esa demoledora rítmica tejana que forman los hermanos Aaron y Stefan Gonzalez. Grabado al final de una gira americana que servía de presentación del precedente Electricity, el disco arranca a todo trapo con una versión del Bush Baby de Arthur Blythe donde asoma la guitarra de querencias ruidistas de Lopes. El resto es una especie de “greatest hits” de la banda ya que todos son temas propios que se incluían en sus dos discos anteriores pero que con la magia del directo ganan en espontaneidad. La música del cuarteto se decanta hacia el free-funk con ciertas dosis de blues, pero lo que asombra es su pegada explosiva y lo bien que encaja la agresividad de Lopes con el sonido granítico de Amado. Intensidad, crudeza, una toma de sonido fantástica y un groove arrollador son las principales virtudes de este magnífico disco”  Cayetano Lopez Rueda / Dark was the Night Blog

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“Het Americentrisme is nog altijd dominant in jazzland. Zo waren Europese muzikanten in de recente DownBeat-polls steevast in de minderheid, een fenomeen dat ook niet onbekend is op aardig wat grote(re) jazzfestivals. In de werelden van freejazz en vrije improvisatie is het tij echter al lang gekeerd. Daar zijn internationale samenwerkingsverbanden schering en inslag en kan je gerust spreken van een hele reeks nationale scholen die naast elkaar bestaan en overlappen. Dat Portugal gerust bij de boeiende landen van het moment gerekend mag worden, wordt nog eens bevestigd door deze handvol releases.

Gitarist Luis Lopes is niet bepaald de meest bekende muzikant van Portugal, maar wel eentje die gestaag werkt aan een divers oeuvre. Dit is het derde album van zijn kwartet met landgenoot Rodrigo Amado (tenorsax) en de Amerikaanse broers Aaron (bas) en Stefan González (drums). Live In Madison werd opgenomen tijdens de Oostkusttournee naar aanleiding van hun tweede langspeler Electricity (2010) en laat een band aan het werk horen die de werelden van freejazz, funk, potige rock-‘n-roll en hardbop naadloos aan elkaar koppelt.

Vanaf opener “Bush Baby”, geleend bij de ondergewaardeerde cultfiguur Arthur Blythe, wordt duidelijk dat deze band een retestrak geheel vormt. De broers González (zonen van de Texaanse trompettist Dennis) zijn in geen tijd in de weer met een opzwepende rockvibe, terwijl Lopes al even funky in de weer is. Samen met Amado wordt er lekker loos gegaan in een compositie die knap in elkaar steekt en toch robuuste ongedwongenheid uitstraalt. De wilde, rafelige solo van Lopes doet aan het beste van Nels Cline denken. Met “Jungle Gymnastics”, overgenomen van het vorige album, wordt het boeltje al helemaal aan de kook gebracht, met een woeste energie die zich kan meten met die van The Thing en het diep ronkende en vuil scheurend saxwerk van Amado, die zich hier van z’n meest agressieve kant laat zien.

Een ander gelaat krijg je te horen in “Long March For Frida Kahlo”, dat volledig op een kringelende baslijn gedrapeerd wordt en eerder bedachtzame oorden opzoekt. “Two Girls” is dan weer een en al aanstekelijkheid, flirtend met funk en pop, maar met een onaflatende verbetenheid. Afsluiten gebeurt met de rollende spieren van “Dehumanization Blues”. Hier kunnen Amado en Lopes echt soleren in een zetel dankzij het strakke funderingswerk van de broers. Live In Madison verenigt dan ook spieren met knappe composities van vier persoonlijkheden die dit moeiteloos boven het gemiddelde actiewerk tillen. Aanrader voor wie z’n (free)jazz graag recht voor de raap en met een rauwe rockkracht heeft”  Guy Peters / Enola Zoekt U

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“Luis Lopes’ Humanization 4tet caught my interests a while back after I read a review of their eponymous First album. Indeed, as Stef described, the group still possesses a straight forwardness, backed up by raw intensity and sharp technical skills. Live in Madison was recorded in Madison, Wisconsin at the end of a US tour that the 4tet did in support of 2010’s “Electricity”. The recording’s sound is great, capturing the dynamics of the group perfectly. The opening track ‘Bush Baby’ begins with a tension filled blast of sound over a repetitive bubbling bass and drum line. Lopes wields the guitar with abandon, playing cool melodic single note runs and ramping up to some knotty chordal passages. Sax player Rodrigo Amado digs in on track two, ‘Jungle Gymnastics’, where after a quick set of unison lines with Lopes, the tunes becomes a barely contained rumpus with each throwing around shards of sounds — rhythmically free and brutally melodic. Drummer Stefan Gonzalez and bassist Aaron Gonzalez provide a tight groove on ‘Two Girls’ giving Lopes a chance to to spin a dangerous solo. Amado’s sax intertwines with Lopes’ guitar mesmerizingly. Along with the hard hitting bouts, there are glimpses of beauty, like the stately solo bass beginning to track 3, ‘Long March for Frieda Khalo’. At times, the concise and energetic themes are reminiscent of intense groups like The Thing or Acoustic Ladyland, though the Humanization 4tet is a bit more complex and less post-punk. Live in Madison is a great companion piece to the Humanization 4tet’s slim but solid discography”  Paul Acquaro / FreeJazz Blog

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“If you want to wake yourself up, you’d do well to check out the recent album by the Luis Lopes Humanization Quartet, Live in Madison (Ayler 134). It’s a very hot quartet, in some ways an offshoot of Dennis Gonzalez’s Yells at Eels band (more on that later this week). This quartet takes no prisoners, in that it is blazing a path of fire where it will and you get into it because you want some of that heat in your world, or that’s what I am feeling anyway.

The mix of players is excellent. Two Portuguese heavies and the Gonzalez brothers from down Texas way. Luis Lopes leads the band and brings in three abstract-concrete compositions. He shows you what he’s made of on electric guitar–fire and dry ice, blazing electric outness, inferno-maelstroms of sound.

His front-line partner is the always hot Rodrigo Amado on tenor (and one composition)–who sounds brilliant as he always seems to, getting that great big tenor sound and putting something on every note he plays. Like a master spitball pitcher, he starts in one place and then there is action you cannot predict but it ends in another not-always-expected end point. The combination of Rodrigo and Luis is as potent as any one-two punch around and they show why very convincingly here.

Then there are the Gonzalez brothers, sons of Dennis Gonzalez and becoming one of the hippest and most capable rhythm teams around today. Aaron is the world class bassist that gets the ostinatos into cruising mode with a big fat sound, can walk and solo with real authority and does here. He also contributes one of the compositions. Stefan combines hard-hitting strength with great chops for a busy swinging sound perfect to launch this quartet into outer space.

This is all about the four together in smoking space-mode. But it is also about the very together advanced playing of each individually. All of them are at the top as with what is going on in advanced jazz with a rock edge. In tandem they are unbeatable.players

In any way you care to look at this one, it’s a big winner. It has the torque of rock, the unpredictability of outness and some really great improvisations and compositional launching points.

Get this!”  Grego Applegate / Gapplegate Guitar and Bass Blog

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“Apenas o primeiro tema deste “Live in Madison” não surgiu nos dois álbuns anteriores do Humanization 4tet de Luís Lopes, “Bush Baby”, um original de Arthur Blythe que aqui ganha a acidez do rock – aliás, parece-se mais com algo que Sonny Sharrock poderia ter assinado. Os restantes já os conhecíamos: “Jungle Gymnastics”, “Two Girls” e “Dehumanization Blues” vêm de “Electricity” e “Long March for Frida Kahlo” e “Big Love” foram retirados do alinhamento do CD homónimo deste quarteto com Rodrigo Amado e os irmãos texanos Aaron e Stefan González.

Mas tem uma óbvia mais-valia em relação a esses títulos: foi gravado ao vivo no espaço Audio For The Arts de Madison, aquando da digressão que o grupo fez pelos Estados Unidos em Julho de 2011. Ou seja, a música liberta-se dos confinamentos a que um registo de estúdio acaba por obrigar, há mais improvisação e prevalece um claro espírito de “jam”. A secção rítmica dos González cresce em poder, o sax tenor de Amado está possesso, representando o melhor da “fire music” desde que Archie Shepp fez a ponte entre o hard bop e o free jazz carregando nos factores “funky”, e a guitarra de Lopes assume por completo a sua condição thrash / garage / punk. Para ouvir com o volume para cima e aos saltos.

Ah, a edição inclui outro factor valorativo: uma série de fotos tiradas por António Júlio Duarte do concerto em questão, focadas tanto nos músicos como no público a que assistia: malta da pesada, com tatuagens e garrafas de cerveja na mão. Música com gente dentro, pois então…”   Rui Eduardo Paes / Jazz.pt

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“There’s an ample supply of harshness and zealousness on the CD. The concentrated power surge from the rhythm section, coupled with the lick distorting lead-guitar work encourages the saxophonist to play up the cruder side of his improvisations. Rugged honks and tongue gymnastics replace Amado’s more cerebral interpretations, investing the session with a punk-like callousness.

Crudeness and callousness pump up the excitement level along with the volume; and while none of the six tracks can be said to swing, they certainly gallop fiercely. Fully fitting the moment, although writing duties are divided and the majority of tunes come from the guitarist compositions by Amado and Aaron González are hewn from the same rock …or Rock.

Lopes’ pieces such as “Jungle Gymnastics” and “Long March For Frida Kahlo” contain enough raucous power that electricity could have been switched off throughout Madison that night, More tactfully, the guitarist’s staccato story-telling licks on the latter and the parallel string pushes and reed tongue inflection on the former confirm that complex ideas are just beneath the showy surface.

As a reversal from Rock music conventions, it’s the bassist and drummer who maintain the moderato pace on the latte piece; and it’s Stefan González’s comprehensive drum break which brings the narrative back to its melodic head on the latter tune. Furthermore, his brother’s “Dehumanization Blues” offers the most all-embracing definition of this music on the disc. Maintaining equilibrium among different tropes, the piece manages to balance a linear theme that pushes forward like a police dogs straining at the leash with varied solo responses. Besides the saxophonist’s improvisations that encompass wild and nasty tongue stops and slurs, are intimations of hard-boiled detective theme music. Again the guitarist and reedist combine staccato dissonance to stimulate the excitement level. Concluding with blistering ripostes at the zenith of each horn man’s respective range, it’s up to the drummer to moderate the attack into a satisfying, all encompassing conclusion”  Ken Waxman / Jazz Word

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“Pour faire vite et user de raccourci, il s’agit ici de free jazz, mais tout serait bien simple si nous nous limitions à cette définition. En réalité, nous retrouvons effectivement toutes les outrances sonores que ce genre affectionne mais il semble que ça va au delà, ou tout au moins que ça y va autrement. On ne retrouve pas pleinement les spécificités du free jazz afro-américain telles qu’elles ont pu être définies durant les années 60 par la communauté noire dont le lyrisme exacerbé est une des données. Le Luis Lopez Humanisation Quartet rappelle l’urgence de la scène punk hard-core du début des années 80 (on pense par exemple à Minor Threat). On trouve ici une simplicité qui ne serait pas la conséquence d’un vocabulaire pauvre mais la volonté de privilégier l’énergie en lançant un arc de tension au-dessus des plages présentées.

Il serait réducteur de ne faire de ce groupe qu’une seule boule de feu. L’équilibre trouvé entre le ténor très growlé, grave, granuleux, torrentiel et la guitare, au son métallique, sec et au discours certes bruitiste mais très clair trouvent une parfaite complémentarité. Quand à la section rythmique elle est en tout point impeccable et tient la barque comme il se doit, à la fois massive et subtilement nuancée.

A l’intérieur de ce maëlstrom, comme c’est le cas pour toutes formation assumant pleinement son esthétique, on retrouve beaucoup de sources d’inspiration parfaitement intégrées. Certains Miles des années 70 ou alors des blues poisseux…”  Nicolas Dourlhès / JAZZITUDE (extrait de la présentation radiophonique)

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“This year we get treated with two distinct and very inspiring documents from guitarist, Luis Lopes. Live in Madison features material from Lopes’ Humanization Quartet and their two studio albums (Electricity and Humanization 4tet). The live dates as usual brings out more from an already improvisational group of musicians. But this time you can really feel the urgency in the music. In addition the attention to direct and fun in which the musicians would exude throughout the night.

One of the tracks from the original studio albums, “Big Love” has raw and fierce quality in this live setting. Amado and S. Gonzalez riff and explode with notes flying all over the place. Drawing counter to the subdue and quietly quick chords both Lopes and A. Gonzalez are illuminating in the background. While all improvised, they come together in a beautiful crash sound that steadies itself nicely in the closing minutes.

“Dehumanization Blues” has become the bedrock piece of their live performances. And here at the Madison show it’s no different. Amado’s long staccato notes in the beginning announce the forcefulness of the piece. This plays out well with each demonstration on grand scale how enormous this piece can get. I imagine this could almost be a twenty minute piece on its own. With varying improvised moment of its own.

With Live In Madison and Noise Solo, Luis Lopes has demonstrated two aspects of his arsenal that I’ve always enjoyed. The sense of creative musical thought and excellent collaboration. Two exciting new records well worth your investment. Get out there and pick them up”  Stephan Moore /  JazzWrap blog

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“Recorded in June 2011, a few months after the Humanization 4tet had released their second album, Electricity on Ayler Records, this live set is truly something to hear.

Recorded on the last stop of a 10-date United States East Coast tour, the album sees the band roar through free jazz, rock, funk and hard blues – tearing it up, totally in charge of their instruments. Guitarist Luis Lopes, with some funky backing from drummer Stefan Gonzalez, puts almost all rock guitarists to shame with his performance in the opening piece, Bush Baby, shredding like there’s no tomorrow. But Lopes knows when to pull back and feature his comrades. The restrained funk groove holds it all together as first Lopes and then tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado show off their chops.

Follow-up Jungle Gymnastics is a pile-driving, wild-born child, with Lopes and Amado creating absolute chaos. Frank Zappa is smiling in his grave. Long March for Frida Kalo starts off with some restrained bass for a minute and a half from Aaron Gonzalez and then some gentle drums from his brother. Slowly Amado builds up the tension on his saxophone, then hands it to Lopes, who takes the song somewhere else, before they all bring it home together. It is a welcome respite from the tension and chaos of the first half of the album – as is Big Love, a bouncy up-tempo groove, with Lopes playing a muted blues tone, while Amado tears skyward with his horn, a torrent of roaring saxophone that is monumental in its beauty. The closer Dehumanization Blues is the band’s live staple and, on this night in 2011 in Madison, the band did itself proud with a primal rendition.

This album is a must-have for fans of experimental jazz and draws influence from low-down and dirty rock and funk”  Lloyd Gedye / Mail&Guardian / Africa’s Best Read

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“Ouf! Ce disque du guitariste Luís Lopez est brûlant! Il faut dire que le saxo de Rodrigo Amado, à lui seul, est très chaud. Ajoutez une section rythmique en feu (Aaron et Stefan González) pour obtenir un free jazz torride, de l’excellente “fire music”. Enregistré devant public au Wisconsin en juillet 2011, ce set comporte des compos originales des membres du groupe, ainsi que “Bush Baby” d’Arthur Blythe. Lopez et Amado rivalisent de force et de créativité tout au long de ce disque puissant. Recommandé. [Ci-dessous: “Bush Baby”]”  François couture / Monsieur Delire Blog

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“Luís Lopes is a Portuguese guitarist whose work is grounded in rock, funk and free jazz, but it’s often his electronic conception of the instrument that comes to the fore, a knack for unlikely accompaniments that can include quiet noise and singing quarter-tones and solos that are marked by thoughtful construction and a reflective depth that can suggest the plaintive wail of a shakuhachi. His empathetic play has distinguished some international dialogues on the Clean Feed label, like Afterfall (which includes American saxophonist Joe Giardullo and French bassist Benjamin Dubo) and What Is When (with bassist Adam Lane and Israeli drummer Igal Foni)

Live in Madison is the third CD by the Humanization 4tet, a band that includes Lopes’ fellow Lisboan Rodrigo Amado on tenor saxophone along with Texans Aaron González on bass and Stefan González on drums (the two sound like they were raised to be a rhythm section, whether it’s here or in Yells at Eels with their father, trumpeter Dennis González). Recorded at Madison’s Audio for the Arts on the final night of a ten-city U.S. tour in 2011, the band plays with the intensity and energy that you might expect from their funk and free jazz roots, but they also play with an extraordinary level of control. While the band moves seamlessly from assertive grooves to free, someone is always grounding the performance, sometimes Lopes himself, whose choppy comping effectively anchors and prods Amado’s brilliant squall on “Jungle Gymnastics,” or Stefan González, whose tight rhythmic figures keep Amado’s “Two Girls” together as the rest of the group slides back and forth between groove and chaos. It’s that level of continuous focus that distinguishes the band from some likely parallels such as Last Exit and The Thing. Lopes is an original whose direct roots rarely show, but the extended solo on his “Long March for Frida Kahlo” has a mix of determined economy and angular insistence that suggests some close listening to the best editions of the Magic Band”  Stuart Broomer / Point of Departure

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“Guitarist, from Portugal, has several albums with this quartet, mixing it up with tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, backed by Texan brothers Aaron and Stefan González. Leads off with Arthur Blythe’s “Bush Baby” where the see-saw leads are especially infectious. Rest are originals, three from Lopes, one from Amado, and a roughhousing blues from Aaron Gonzalez” A-   Tom Hull / Music Week-Jazz Prospecting