An all instrumental “acoustic” album – there aren’t any vocals. Tunes are largely by saxist Martín Díaz plus there’s a nod of the hat to Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now.’
The title El Goce adheres to highly influential French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901-81) and his notion of jouissance or “goce” in Spanish – “enjoyment” in English, a core concept that distinguishes a paradoxical satisfaction from simple pleasure. Jouissance, here’s the rub, is an excess that breaks those limits, often straddling the border of pain and suffering.
That makes sense in the character of the music.
A studio album recorded in the Netherlands, Díaz gathers a core quartet around him plus an additional guesting guitarist.
Not a stranger to the issuing label at all, the saxist’s first album for FSNT Identities – with a different personnel – came out in the dread year of 2020 when the Pandemic struck. He’s a Catalan who I believe lives in Amsterdam – some of the musicians involved are Dutch.
The saxophonist has also appeared on a number of records issued by a band called the Dam Jawn which was inspired by his time living in Philadelphia and New York. Fellow altoist US veteran Dick Oatts – known for his work with Thad Jones and Mel Lewis – acted as a mentor to the band.
El Goce is quite heartfelt and vulnerable. There is strong interplay between the leader and the pianist Evan van der Feen above all. And I think that aspect of the sound is the strongest element. The originals make sense and the way Díaz folds Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now’ from 1967 into his own slightly African flavoured piece ‘Both Sides of Philly’ thanks to the guitar of Reinier Baas especially in the introduction who supplements the core quartet here works well although the piece isn’t typical of the rest of the album and may be a distraction.
The ballad ‘Triphasic‘ is a nod to a Dam Jawn recording that Diaz was on which featured trumpet icon Jeremy Pelt and which came out in the autumn. Here bassist Ton Felices bows the tender melody beautifully and Díaz delivers a very involving version of the main tune.
Clearly, then, a very sensitive player who is good at being balladic and bittersweet rather than being edgy – at times his bebop influenced alto playing makes me think that followers of Immanuel Wilkins and Perico Sambeat might even enjoy what he does even with his more pared back, far less hard boiled, approach than these.
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