It is sort of unfortunate that the first release on my list is by an artist I am less familiar with than the others. Aki Takase is a jazz musician who has been around, making albums since the late 70s, with some traditional influence and some improvisation. She’s usually a pianist (and is one here). That’s about all I know about her, because I haven’t heard much else of her work (a few other records, all of which were good) because I listen to the first track on this album too much.
On Tarantella, Aki Takase Piano Quintet is a piano (her), cello, bass, viola, and violin. Her piano anchors the pieces on this record, many times playing exclusively, and then joined in cacophonous moments by the others. Here, they play two original pieces (“Tarantella” and “Let Those Who Appear”), and five others (including “Hat And Beard” by Eric Dolphy). The standouts are Takase’s own compositions, particularly “Tarantella”.
I’m not sure if “Tarantella” has the form of a tarantella or not, but it is 10 minutes of swirling themes and intense playing. The middle is frantic and seasick, every member of the quintet swaying in and out. It’s bracketed by loud and intense sections where Takase’s piano repeats an anchoring melody. For my part, though, the high point is the last 2:30 or so of the song: the swaying reaches a peak, and you can hear the string players groaning with their instruments as they fiddle wildly, then the piano joins in arpeggios, and after a free section they break into the theme from the beginning, louder and stronger than before, with all the strings stabbing the piano melody every measure.
The rest of the disc is quite good, but not as remarkable. Tarantella was one of the first releases that had me noticing that what I really liked was modern and experimental compositional forms, not necessarily the texture of the instruments invented for experimental music. If you haven’t heard any “out there” jazz, this is an excellent place to start–there are no Zorn-esque wailing saxophones giving you a headache here, but there is all of the interesting composition present in the form.