Drummer Francisco Mela and tenor saxophonist-flutist Zoh Amba are two leading lights in the current avant-garde jazz scene. On Causa y Efecto, Vol. 2, they deliver some exemplary duo exchange, following up a prior installment released in September 2022. Both sets are available on vinyl (Vol. 2 releases February 2) through 577 Records of Brooklyn, NY. We cover both sets below.
Born in Cuba, Francisco Mela moved to the US in 2000 to study at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. It didn’t take him long to start amassing credits, and like many jazz drummers, he’s versatile, having played with saxophonists Joe Lovano and Kenny Barron, bassist Esperanza Spaulding, and live with pianists McCoy Tyner and Geri Allen, but also, swinging over to the avant-garde side of spectrum, saxophonists Daniel Carter and Stephen Gauci, bassist William Parker, and pianist Matthew Shipp.
A co-leader of many recordings, Mela’s own albums include 2006’s Melao, ’08’s Cirio (Live at the Blue Note), ’16’s Fe and ’18’s Ancestros. And it’s no surprise that Mela is featured on numerous recent releases from 577, including Zoh Amba’s ’22 debut for the label O Life, O Light (Vol. 1) in trio with Parker on bass (Vol. 2 came out last year).
Born in Tennessee, Amba attended San Francisco Conservatory of Music, New England Conservatory and also studied in NYC with saxophonist David Murray. Her debut recording, ’22 O, Sun, was released by John Zorn’s Tzadik label with a guest spot from the saxophonist on one track. Bhakti followed not long after on the Mahakala label, and since then she’s been a co-leader on ’22’s Alien Skin with Parker, Shipp, saxophonists Chad Fowler and Ivo Perelman and drummer Steve Hirsh. Last year Palilalia Records released The Flower School by Amba, drummer Chris Corsano and guitarist Bill Orcutt.
Amba came on the scene like a house ablaze, an apt analogy as Fire Music is the bedrock of her sound. Comparisons to John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and Charles Gayle are fitting but it’s not a case of a rehash as the differences are amplified on these two volumes with Mela. Amba can dish the skronk and Mela the kit thunder, but the Causa y Efecto LPs have a unique sensibility, being less focused on momentum and pure heat than some earlier examples of duo exchange.
There are certainly stretches, particularly in the two lengthier pieces, “Serenata” on Vol. 1 and “MEZO” on Vol. 2, that recall the foundational sax-drums unions of Coltrane and Rashied Ali and Frank Lowe and Ali. But there’s also rich lyricism from Amba on sax, particularly at the beginning of “Serenata.” It doesn’t take her long to get burning however, and the dialogue is full-bodied with Mela often emphasizing the tom drums.
Notably, these volumes are part of the same session from April 12, 2021 rather than a later return to the studio based on the success of the first. Breaking them into two separate releases is a smart move, swinging away from the sometimes more than 70-minute durations of the CD boom. Not that those marathons didn’t have their own appeal, but digestible lengths are preferable, and the way 577 assembled these two halves delivers an engaging circularity.
This is directly due to Mela’s vocals, delivered in Spanish and heard most prominently in Vol. 1’s opener “Maria” and in Vol. 2’s finale, where Mela sings traditional Cuban songs, accompanied by his own rhythms as Amba enters later in both pieces. Mela’s baritone voice is also heard elsewhere, occasionally in a more ecstatic manner, adding to the distinctiveness. One vocal highlight is “Mundos Diversos” which also benefits from Amba’s superb flute playing, her approach on the instrument across both volumes bringing a calm that productively contrasts with the storming qualities of her tenor saxophone.
Other than the two aforementioned long pieces, the tracks here range from between four and nine minutes. The beauty and intensity, ranging from melodic to the abstract, is amongst the finest expression to have emerged from the contemporary jazz avant-garde.
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