Aubrey Johnson vocals
Beatriz Nunes vocals
Mariana Dionísio vocals
Eve Risser piano
Mark Dresser doublebass
Abdul Moîmeme electric guitar and objects
Pedro Melo Alves drums and percussion
“in igma”, a free variation of “ignis” – latin word for fire/light and a homophone reference to “enigma”.
The in igma ensemble was commissioned to Pedro Melo Alves by Serralves “Jazz no Parque” 2019 festival, as an invitation to assemble a contemporary music ensemble and write its music. Joining some of the world most renowned figures on the contemporary and experimental music, in igma is a blend of textures that oppose the multilayered holophonic use of a high pitched choir with the visceral rawness of prepared string and percussion instruments. It’s highly cinematographic music that dwells between light and obscurity, concrete and abstract textures.
***** ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2020 *****
on the lists of
All About Jazz (Troy Dostert)
Free Jazz Blog (Stuart Broomer and Troy Dostert)
Jazz.pt (António Branco, Gonçalo Falcão, José Dias, Nuno Catarino, Rui Eduardo Paes)
★★★★★
“(…) In Igma, as mysterious as the conjunction of its title and spelling, arises where borders between the composed and improvised seem never to have been drawn (…) Singers and instrumentalists alike operate at a special level of musicianship and invention (…) an evolving, compounding dream state, an abstracted musical narrative (…)
– STUART BROOMER, Free Jazz Blog, 2020
★★★★☆
“(…) a magnificent album (…) echoes of sacred music, lyrical singing and various experiments along the way, transmuting into a ritualistic body, not religious, but a pagan rumination of elements connected to what is more foundational”
– GONÇALO FROTA, Público, 2020
“Pedro Melo Alves reaffirms here the powerful impression left before in “Omniae”, showing that he really is a composer of refined ideas. ”
– FABRÍCIO VIEIRA, Free Form Free Jazz, 2020
“(…) Another clear triumph for Pedro Melo Alves. ”
– RUI MIGUEL ABREU, Notas Azuis, 2020
“…a suite of contemporary music has emerged.”
– LIBER FARNÈ, All About Jazz, 2019
★★★★½
“(…) layers of abstraction and emotional complexities that defy easy description, the music casts a transfixing spell from beginning to end. (…) Together, they craft a sound-world that is somehow both cohesive and expansive, with a pervasive mood of mystery that exerts an irresistible pull. (…) It is a demanding and bracing listening experience, yet not without episodic transcendence and beauty.”
– TROY DOSTERT, All About Jazz, 2020
“(…) an exciting journey into the undiscovered (…) extremely exciting, “new” music, which makes you think about the fragile world we live in today”
– JAN GRANLIE, Salt Peanuts, 2020
“With an abstract and transcendental genesis, In Igma is a work in which elements of classical, contemporary and experimental music converge, as beautiful as intriguing, at the interface between a purifying catharsis and a terrifying neurosis. (…) Not being an easy album, In Igma brings together several components that make it a transcendental experience: (…) all elements that make this record a brilliant work.”
– JOÃO MORADO, Beats for Peeps, 2020
“…one of the most worthwhile encounters that ‘Jazz no Parque’ has had to date. (…)”
– JOÃO ESTEVES DA SILVA, jazz.pt, 2019
pedro melo alves 