Alister Spence gave his long-running Alister Spence Trio a hard jolt a few years back when he enlisted audacious guitar vet Ed Kuepper to sit in with the combo. Asteroid Ekosystem (2021) put Kuepper with keyboardist/sampler Spence, drummer Toby Hill and bassist Lloyd Swanton (The Necks) and sparks ensued in forging a “record of distinctly dauntless personalities” that makes outlier instrumental music stretching beyond jazz into alien realms.
This whole getup worked so well that it was destined not to be a one-off deal. Better yet, these maestros from Australia properly recognized that their freewheeling style is perfectly suited for live performance, so their second release Live captures them on stage during a string of shows at the Great Club in Sydney. In recognition that this has become more than a trio with an extra player sitting in, the record is credited to ‘Asteroid Ekosystem.’
It starts the same way the studio album did, with the “Not A Leaf In Any Forest.” As in the earlier rendition, here it sports that unfolding, minimalist quality mastered by Swanton’s main band, but with Kuepper making it rock harder than anything the Necks have done, perhaps even more so at the club.
“Out Upon Circumference” is stretched out to nearly twice its studio running time, and the symmetry between Kuepper and Spence’s piano can be felt stronger.
“For Hermann” and “Outer Orbit” are the two tunes not pulled from the 2021 release. For the former, Kuepper’s tune departs from the single-chord minimalism for a funky riff anchored down so superbly by Swanton. The latter is a linear collective buildup and gradual release.
If it wasn’t already apparent from their studio effort, Live proves that adding Ed Kuepper to a very good acoustic jazz piano trio turns the group dynamics upside down and transforms it into an experimental, improvisation-heavy rock outfit. One that’s meant for the whims and kinetic energy of the stage.
Get Asteroid Ekosystem’s Live today from Bandcamp.
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