History Carlos Bica & Azul

Azul, comprising Portuguese bassist Carlos Bica, guitarist Frank Möbus from Germany and drummer Jim Black from New York, is one of those trios around with a highly notable profile and characteristic signature. No doubt many dedicated music lovers will have their own history with this group that has been active now for more than 20 years. Azul's self-titled debut album dates from 1996 (EmarCy), featuring eminent Portuguese vocalist Maria Joao, and trombonist Ray Anderson. It was followed by Twist (1999, Enja), Look What They've Done To my Song (2003, Enja), Believer (2006, Enja) and Things About (2011, Enja). Like other US-American musicians of his generation, Jim Black frequently worked in Europe in the beginning of his career (like Mark Turner or Bill Frisell). Both he and Frank Möbus are founding members of the influential group Der Rote Bereich. Carlos Bica worked in groups of Maria João before he founded Azul together with Black and Möbus. Besides in Der Rote Bereich Möbus is involved in a quartet with Daniel Erdmann, Samuel Rohrer and Vincent Courtois and in the group KUU! with singer extraordinaire Jelena Kuljic.

Bica, Black and Möbus are thus long-standing musical accomplices who have absorbed a broad range of musical influences. The trio unfolds and develops melodic baselines in appealing and dramatic ways. One of the trio's key pieces is "Believer," now a classic, from the eponymous fourth album released in 2006. The atmospheric ten minute- piece gradually unfolds Bolero-esquely, with great suspense, into its climax, terminating in energizing catharsis. It is a great example of the art of ostinato slowly speeding up, charging with manifold colors and exploding. The three musicians are maîtres de métier of sustain and lightning-quick twists and turns. Their music shifts in genius ways between flaming passion, romancing surrender, hammering rock and zigzagging ska.

Most striking is the trio's unity out of individuality, the way these three voices intersect and set in motion something that is 'more than this.' At moments Möbus' guitar and Bica's bass become indiscernible, sounding like one instrument. In other moments the guitar takes beautiful strange excursions into melodic space. Jim Black is a jolty, not strictly metrical drummer, razor-sharp, moving on the edge in intense phases of tension and release and squirrel-quick dynamic changes. As the bass easily moves into higher parts of the melody it often sounds like two guitars at work. The drumming changes smoothly between mysterious rustling, accelerating forward drive, and playfully 'mirroring' melody and harmony. It is an adequately weighted counterpart to Bica's dark wooden bass. The trio's melodic music, full of nested contrasts, rhythmical changes and dynamic firework, takes its time to unfold, emerge, hoover and detonate.

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