Corsano, Maranha & Youngs

It takes musicians of considerable heft to make these kinds of one-off improvisatory performances work; thankfully, with Chris Corsano, David Maranha and Richard Youngs performing together here, at Les Ateliers Claus in Brussels, the listener is in more than capable hands. There’s some overlap in interests and communities between the three players, but not so much that this trio risks homogeneity or the overly comfortable. Perhaps key to all the musicians is an abiding interest in drones, though not as the be-all and end-all of their music; Corsano is more likely to be found in full percussive flight; Youngs is the definition of a peripatetic musician. What’s impressive about Corsano, Maranha & Youngs is the sure-footed pacing – slow reels for organ, and breathy bamboo flute, accrete detail while Corsano teases out a low pulse; Youngs’s wistful yet strident voice calls out across parched tundra, reflecting off rocks and ice; on the flipside, “Impossible Sun,” Corsano is more active, and the improvisation plays out with him as the lead, while flashes and spirals of bamboo and double cane flute float over the top.