Luís Lopes' Humanization 4tet - Electricity

Bruce Lee Galanter, DMG Newsletter

All four members of this fine cross-continental quartet have previous releases on the Clean Feed label. Portuguese guitarist Luis Lopes has two CF discs, including the previous one by Humanization 4Tet. Portuguese saxist Rodrido Amado has upwards of six on Clean Feed as well as another half dozen on his own European Echoes label & Not Two. The great Dallas rhythm team of brothers Aaron & Stefan Gonzalez have recorded some half dozen swell discs with their father Dennis and more recently have been working with Curtis Clark and the Humanization 4Tet. This great quartet played here at DMG earlier this year and were superb!
All four members of this great quartet contributed to the composing. "Dehumization Blues" is not really a blues but it does a powerful, pumping blues-rockin' groove. This killin' rhythm team is most impressive, tight and burning with Rodrigo blasting an incredible sax solo while Luis spews out fractured notes behind him. "Jungle Gymnastics" has an Ornette-ish theme and is super tight with intricate sax and guitar lines played together while the bass & drums provide a whirlwind underneath. Aaron & Stefan are pretty young yet they sound like older veterans of the free & modern jazz worlds, wise beyond they years. When they get a chance to stretch out, both are inspired & crafty soloists as well. Rodrigo's piece "Two Girls" does have a great funky groove with some greasy sax on top. "Effigy" is an appropriate titled solemn piece, stark, sad and simmering like a soft prayer. Each song involves a different structure or strategy and each one is strong. I dig how on "Infidelities" the quartet plays the theme up front and them proceeds to get freer in the midsection before they move into a final somber, spare conclusion. The final piece, "Eavesdropper/Ruas Sentimentais" begins freely and eventually evolves through different sections. Parts remind me of when King Crimson move into their own improv segments. The Humanization 4Tet is/are a particularly impressive quartet that are no doubt be a force to be reckoned with.