On this second night of the Schlippenbach Trio’s two day residency, the trio was augmented to form a quintet which, in two telepathically flowing sets, brought out the best from key players in the world of jazz and improvisation, some who’d been playing together since the late 60s, burning the torch for musical creativity and energy at the highest level. This was, indeed, the epitome of improvisational ensemble performance.
Alexander von Schlippenbach (piano), and Evan Parker (sax) with Paul Lytton (drums), formed a natural bond with Axel Dörner (trumpet) and John Edwards (double bass), perhaps not that surprising as Schlippenbach and Dörner had focused on Monk’s music in the mid-90s with a quintet, Monk’s Casino, while Schlippenbach and Parker performed together in the 60s and were first recorded in the trio format in 1972 which continues to this day. Lytton, who took Paul Lovens’ place a while back, cut his teeth in duo with Parker in 1969, taking up the drum seat in the Evan Parker Trio with Barry Guy on bass in the early 70s. The ultra-versatile Edwards, a frequent collaborator with Parker and so many others, was the perfect bass player to pitch in with this group.
The first set had the musicians blending in intuitive unison, responding to Schlippenbach’s exploratory peregrinations, and finding space to make tangential excursions, solo and in loose partnerships.
Dörner’s opening flow, obliquely hitting the high notes, and Lytton’s dynamic drumming set out the stall for this acutely balanced meeting of minds which gave Schlippenbach the platform to plot a mesmerising route through rhythmic and melodic propositions, dropping in flirtations with Monk’s oeuvre, while Parker and Dörner found the openings to pursue avenues in tandem and with solo voices. As John Corbett has noted, ’Schlippenbach … often pulls out a Monk tune during solo performances or in the course of free improvising with others’ and Parker recalled that they dipped in to Monk’s Evidence, based on the changes of the standard Just You, Just Me, and Monk’s Let’s Call This.
Dörner used mutes, held wavering notes, took in and released raw breath, and hinted at Miles’ challenges, while Parker, without a pause, ran the full gamut of registers on tenor, and Lytton added small metal cymbals to drum skins to extend the percussive range.
Drawing by Geoff Winston (c) 2025. All Rights Reserved
The second set had something of an abstract feel to it, with Schlippenbach’s dark chords setting an eerily unsettling tone. After reaching in to the piano wires he and Parker traded phrases, Dörner added muted brass and Lytton put in light mallet touches, with Edwards weaving dextrously with bow, fingers and knuckles, to bind it all together. A supercharged conversation between Parker and Dörner drew rare Cafe Oto applause and Edwards’ extended solo before the encore was breathtaking in its invention.
Maybe most rewarding was to find that Schlippenbach was playing extraordinarily well. Watching his spider-like fingering was mesmerising, as he picked out notes, runs and chords with deliberation and sensitivity. No hesitation, just great clarity. And Evan, later, also commented that ‘Alex is playing better than ever.’ That says it all!
Except to add that it was Jackson Burton’s final night as full-time night manager of five years at Cafe Oto for which co-founder, Hamish Dunbar, gave heartfelt thanks. Jackson said afterwards that he’d chosen to bow out on this particularly special night of music, and that he’d still be around!
