UK based Slam Productions refuses to fall into musical predictability and homogenization. Here are three releases to keep you on your auricular toes.
The five teamed Pegasys consists of Errico De Fabritis/as, Giagio Orlandi/ss-ts, Francesco Lo Cascio-vib-perc, Gianfranco Tedeschi/b and Cristiano De Fabritis/dr. The produce here two discs, with the first (“Red”) one being alluring post bop and the second (“Yellow”) on the more experimental and 
free form side.
From “ Red” we get clever military drive on “Pegasys” with melodic bop lines” while the vibes snap on “Mad Legs’ and coalesce into a good groove on “Still Insensitive.” The saxes hold onto a white knuckler of a Mingus-inspired “Tuttava” while on the “Yellow” disc vibes team with sax squawks on “Composition III” and the honk on the jagged “Composition VIII.” Things get a bit more placid with long tones on “IV” and bowed bass work on “II” but each piece has a highly intuitive feel. Freedom and form both exposed.
George Haslam plays both the “regular” clarinet as well as the Hungarian/Romanian cousin tarogato as he teams up with drummer Mario Rua for a pair of 2014 gigs in Lisbon, Portugal. There are only four tunes, so you get a lot of improvisation and fiery free forms. The sharper tarogato is declaratory as he arm wrestles with the dramatic and extroverted drums on “Cabo Espichel” while on clarinet he pleads on the hard driving and flailing Rua on “Alfama.” Long tones form a folk melody over the muscular thrashing sticks on “Arrabida” while the team plods together for the closing “Fleetwood.”
Leonid Vintskevich’s piano and Steve Kershaw’s bass team up with Nick Vintskevich’s team of saxophones on this unorthodox trio that does some wonderful work on originals. Vintskevich’s soprano sax prances over the playful p iano on “The Waltz of the Young Turks” while rapid unison lines between soprano and piano make for an exciting race on “Russian Ornamant.” Kershaw’s bowed bass creates a sonata for “One Moment” while he slaps the strings like they’re a newborn baby on the title track. Some wondrously intimate piano is delved into on “Stabat mater” and the team gets introspective on the calm read of Debussy’s “Sarabande.” Impressive mix of freedom and form.