Daniel Carter flute, clarinet, trumpet, soprano, alto and tenor saxophone Marius Duboule classical and electric guitar Michael Bates double bass Deric Dickens drums and percussion
What started as a simple New York session quickly developed into a collective quartet featuring the great improvisers Daniel Carter (US), Michael Bates (CA), Deric Dickens (US) and Marius Duboule (CH/FR). “From the time we started playing together,” remembered Bates “there was always a specific commitment to dynamics”. Carter added, “I feel like the band, the guys in the band, are very spacious. It can be very nuanced but at the same time very articulate.”
The use of space, simple textures and constant counterpoint, are the key elements of this group. The calm and quiet energy of their album “Thoughts Become Matter” mysteriously seduces the listener without falling in the stereotypes of jazz or contemporary music. Duboule adds “It’s very interesting to see how the music shifts from one point to another in a matter of seconds” and Dickens to develop “Because we all come from different generations, from different regions and became interested in different types of music at the first place, we’re all bringing these different spices in to the same meal”.
Zero Point’s music is entirely improvised, sometimes giving the impression of a known melody or a sound mass, similar to what the spectral music can evoke. Or just like Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler and Eric Dolphy the musicians of this band can also be deeply anchored in the tradition of blues and bebop, which resurfaces in a pictorial way. Zero-point energy describes the lowest form of energy a system may have. In the vacuum, when all the particles have been taken away, there remain oscillations and movement. This energy and the theories connected to it have sometimes been used as a common ground where the scientific and spiritual worlds meet. Thoughts Become Matter is a reflection on the influence our thoughts have on the world we live in.
“A potent meeting of generations, an amalgam of free musical talents”
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“Carter’s charisma elevates this set of a dozen uncharted but restrained encounters beyond the ordinary.”
“This is not sixties free jazz energy music but a refined brand of freedom which tastes like some contemplative medicine here to help soothe our souls.”