Nicole Rampersaud - Saudade [Ansible Editions 006]

Put out on the circuit via Ansible Editions as the labels cat.no. 006 on November 3rd, 2k23 is "Saudade", the 33 minutes spanning album debut by Canadian trumpet player Nicole Rampersaud. Over the course of eleven relatively short pieces Rampersaud's firstling showcases her unique approach to her instrument of choice as well as her mastery in terms of explorative solo playing techniques alongside carefully employed additional electronic treatments of the original sound material which results in layered , echoing Improv figures and close-up mechanical recordings atop of crackling, hissing atmospherics as well as gooey, viscous, swampy electronics paired with what seem to be HipHop scratch treated trumpet layers in the instruments upper register, short reverse episodes, even Delta Blues-reminiscent pieces of ultimately melancholia-inducing quality ("Concurrent Panoramas Pt. 1 - 3") whereas cuts like "Erasure" are focusing on the percussive fascination of near field recorded rhythmic air flow whilst "Nor Foresaking" is indulging in a dubbed out, AvantPsychedelia-infused sonic realm which most listeners might not necessarily associate with the trumpet as a solo instrument before the title track "Saudade" brings forth a longing, beautiful variation of basically untreated solo trumpet just to name a few. Even though Jazz as a genre might be the closest and x or most suitable drawer for an album like this "Saudade" as a whole exceeds the term by far and therefore could be rather categorized as MetaJazz for a reason.