The quartet Rocket Science was convened by Peter Evans. It consists of Evans himself on trumpet and piccolo trumpet, plus Evan Parker on tenor and soprano saxophones, Craig Taborn on piano and Sam Pluta on laptop. Prior to coming together, the group members had previous experience of each other: Evans had recorded solo for Parker's label, notably his album More is More (Psi, 2006) after which he named his own label; he had also recorded Scenes in the House of Music (Clean Feed, 2010) with the Parker-Guy-Lytton trio, and is a member of Parker's Electro-Acoustic Ensemble. Taborn played piano in Parker's Transatlantic Art Ensemble which recorded two ECM albums with Roscoe Mitchell in 2004. Pluta had no history with Parker, but is in a duo with Peter Evans and is a member of the Peter Evans Quintet that recorded Ghosts (More is More, 2011.) So, when they came together the four were far from strangers. In fact, one could truthfully go for the obvious one-liner and say that assembling a successful improvising quartet is not rocket science but is Rocket Science...
This eponymous debut album captures the group's world premiere, having been recorded live at The Vortex in London in May 2012, at the start of the quartet's first tour which then visited the Bimhuis in Amsterdam and culminated in them playing at the Moers Festival in Germany. It consists of four extended tracks running for almost an hour in total. They are presented in the order they were played that evening, without overdubs or edits to the music — only the applause has been edited out. The recording quality is first rate, revealing in fine detail every note played by each player. Mixed and mastered by Pluta, it maintains an equal balance between the four members which is consistent with the way the group plays. Although Evans and Parker are both capable of playing extended solos whenever the need arises, neither of them is disproportionately in the spotlight here. Instead, their solo contributions often overlap with those of others and are integrated into the music of the foursome as natural parts of the whole.
With no recognisable rhythm section to maintain the music's pulse, that duty falls equally to all four members and they succeed to the extent that the listener is not aware of the process happening, only of the end result, which seems to have arisen by some collective understanding. Of the four, Taborn seems most responsible for it, but he is multi-tasking throughout, also contributing accompaniment and his own impressive solos. Pluta's role is just as complex: the album opens to the understated sound of his electronic interference and, from then on, he seems ever-present, adding vital coloration, atmosphere and emphasis. Ultimately, though, the success of the quartet lies not in the contributions of individuals — excellent though they be — but in the combined effect of the four together. We must hope those concerts in Holland and Germany were also recorded, so that there can be fitting follow-up releases to build on the success of this fine group's excellent debut.
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