Rodrigo Amado – tenor saxophone
Joe McPhee – pocket trumpet, soprano saxophone
Kent Kessler – double bass
Chris Corsano – drums

This quartet, one of Rodrigo Amado’s pivotal projects, unites the Portuguese saxophonist with legendary horn player Joe McPhee, Chicago double-bassist Kent Kessler and young drum star Chris Corsano. Together they are taking Amado’s credo to “compose in real time” to new heights, bringing the universes of free improvisation and composed jazz closer together.

This is music by four strong individual players with room for eruptive solo-parts, but always held together by intense communication and interwoven with beautiful melodies. 

The quartet’s second album A History of Nothing (Trost records) got a huge number of very excited reviews. 

A superb quartet outing. The music is all improvised, but it’s firmly rooted in jazz, with superb interaction between all of the players, both on ripping, high-velocity blowouts and more delicate forays. (Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader)

Freedom is clearly a responsibility as well as a joy, and it’s emphasized here by the group’s shared commitment: each musician is constantly working in two directions, stretching further and creating cohesion. The music is improvised with such an ear to complementary detail that it’s literally being collectively composed. (Stuart Broomer, Free Jazz Collective)

Together, this quartet is dynamite. It’s exciting to hear a European musician along with three Americans, and notice that they communicate so well. (Jan Granlie, Salt Peanuts)

Fantastic modern free jazz by a super group that really works. Both impressive and touching. (Joachim Nyberg, Soundofmusic)

Discography:

This is Our Language (2015, Not Two)

A History of Nothing (2018, Trost records)

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Music of Amado / McPhee / Kessler / Corsano | Concerts of Amado/Mcphee/Kessler/Corsano | Videos of Amado / McPhee / Kessler / Corsano | Photos of Amado / McPhee / Kessler / Corsano