November 4th, 2024 – Jazzword (CAN)
by Ken Waxman
“With tandem harmonies comparable to those of the classic Gerry Mulligan quartet, baritone saxophonist Peter Van Huffel from Kingston, Ont. and Toronto trumpeter Lina Allemano do more than put a contemporary spin on these seven Berlin-recorded tracks. Their polyphonic counterpoint includes spiky and smeared timbres, fragmented and stretched by the electronic used by Van Huffel and pianist Antonis Anissegos, yet with the expositions steadied by drummer Joe Hertenstein’s concentrated rumbles.
Alongside horizontal narratives, massive space remains for all four to personalize the expositions with raging triplets and half-valve growls from Allemano, bitten-off snarls, thickened overblowing and basement slurs from Van Huffel and just enough keyboard clips, stops and voltage-altered textures to overcome the expected. On Ravenous Hound for instance a concluding lockstep horn march is emphasized only after an impressive display of drum patterning and key clicks. With Interdimensional Planet Hopper the jokey veracity of the title is established as multidirectional tempos and pitches billow. Electronics expand and contract motifs created by raunchy reed vamps, strained brass bugling, celeste-resembling tapping from Anissegos and Hertenstein’s thickened ruffs and ratchets until all return to earth with a four-part unison finale.
Although throughout quartet members can create raunchy narratives seemingly without stopping for breath, thematical control is always evident. While some sounds expressed suggest the fun pinpointed in the disc’s concluding track title – Barrel of Monkeys – it’s clear that these musical devils can also meander into the music of angels.
August, 2024 – Jazzflits (NL)
by Herman te Loo
“‘Meandering Demons’ could also have been the title of the trio Gorilla Mask, the group from which we know saxophonist Peter Van Huffel know best. Callisto, however, is a new ensemble, and this is their debut album. Striking is the use of electronics, which is even more integrated into the band sound than on Gorilla Mask. We hear echo, reverb and distortion and intriguing ‘soundscapes’. The line-up, without bass, offers opportunities for an open approach, especially
by Antonis Anisesegos’ keys, which regularly create alienation. The horn tandem of Van Huffel (this time only on baritone sax) and trumpeter Lina Allemano sound well together, witness the shimmering duet amid the ‘soundscapes’ in ‘Transient being’. Yet in his compositions, there also seems to be Van Huffel’s penchant for solid, rock-like grooves shines through. These can sometimes be quite complex (as in ‘Rude awakening’), but always feel always feel natural and grounded. In Joe Hertenstein Callisto has a percussionist who has both the tight rhythm work in his arsenal as well as a good sense of timbres and embellishments. This allows Van Huffel work with all the contrasts that keep his compositions keep them interesting. The final piece, ‘Barrel of monkeys’ for instance, opens with a duet of baritone sax and drums, after which the trumpet and sax braid lines to an angular piano-drums duet to end with an extremely friendly horn arrangement. Thus, Van Huffel puts a solid signature on a debut that already stands like a house.”
Translated from Dutch with DeepL.com / (click here or link above for original Dutch version)
July 31st, 2024 – Something Else!
by S. Victor Aaron
“For roughly a dozen years, Berlin-based Canadian baritone saxophone specialist Peter Van Huffel has led a thrash-jazz sax/bass/drums trio Gorilla Mask, a Brötzmann-meets-Black Flag highly improvised jazz with the raw power of a hardcore punk. Now, Van Huffel has moved on to a new project with a different approach that’s no less audacious, introducing it with his spring, 2024 release Meandering Demons. Callisto, as he calls it, is a Berlin-based quartet with Joe Hertenstein on drums, Antonis Anissegos on keyboards and electronics and Lina Allemano on trumpet. Van Huffel sticks with main reed, the baritone saxophone, and adds some additional electronic effects.
It’s a true international band with the Greek Anissegos and the German Hertenstein. Like Van Huffel, Lina Allemano is a Canadian expatriate who has been part of the Berlin experimental jazz scene for a number of years. Readers of this space know she is a bandleader and composer in her own right, heading up several ensembles that all test the boundaries of jazz. Given the similarities in style and the bold conception, she is almost the trumpet version of Peter Van Huffel.
We so often come across avant-garde jazz records that attempt to negotiate the improvised with the composed parts, but that comes so easily for Van Huffel. Underneath the hood of the leading edge body is an engine that’s principally advanced modern jazz; Callisto uses tradition as a launching pad for propelling Van Huffel’s music into the vanguard.”
(click here or link above for full review)
July 28th, 2024 – All About Jazz
by Glenn Astarita
“The lack of a traditional bass line creates a fascinating sonic space, allowing Anissegos to take on a more melodic role, weaving in and out of the conversation between horns. While improvisation reigns supreme, there are moments of surprising cohesion. “Glass Sanctuary” is not just about chaos, it is about finding beauty in disorder. This piece shimmers with ethereal electronics and Allemano’s reverb-drenched trumpet, creating a soundscape that feels both spacious and unsettling. It is like stepping into a haunted cathedral, where every note echoes with a ghostly presence.
“Rude Awakening” is a high-energy free-jazz romp, escalated by Allemano’s fiery and jagged lines, illustrating the telepathic connection with Van Huffel. Their horns weave around each other in a dizzying display of virtuosity, perhaps leaving the listener breathless and exhilarated. It is as if they are engaged in a heated debate, with each instrument passionately making its point, yet somehow, they always find common ground.”
(click here or link above for full review)
July 22nd, 2024 – All About Jazz (Italy)
by Alberto Bazzurro
“Quartetto geograficamente misto, quello diretto dal quarantaseienne (quasi) baritonista canadese Peter Van Huffel, con una trombettista italo-canadese, un pianista greco e un batterista tedesco. Molto coesa, compatta, illuminata (e guidata) da un’idea forte è peraltro la musica contenuta in quest’ottimo album, inciso a Berlino nell’ottobre 2022. L’idea di cui sopra si deve certamente al leader (tutti suoi i brani, ciò che con una buona lente d’ingrandimento riuscirete a leggere, blu su nero…), ma la coesione del quartetto Callisto fa sì che tutto prenda una direzione assolutamente chiara, esteticamente riconoscibile. La coralità del lavoro, ovviamente con gli spazi solistici del caso, è del resto evidente, a ulteriore conferma della solidità della linea tracciata e perseguita. ”
(click here or link above for full review)
June 27th, 2024 – Free Jazz Blog
by Paul Acquaro
“Comprised of the Berlin based Canadian Van Huffel, who adds electronics in addition to his hearty baritone sax, along with fellow Berlin / Canadian musician trumpeter Lina Allemano, drummer Joe Hertenstein, and pianist (and electronics player) Antonis Anissegos, the bass-less trio of Callisto is a departure from the heavy breathing of Van Huffel’s other outfit, Gorilla Mask, and a foray into acoustic-electronic composition and improvisation.
Worry not Gorilla Mask fans, strident rhythms still abound, but they may decay a bit sooner than expected, or be transmogrified by electronics in subtle – and not so subtle – ways. ”
(click here or link above for full review)
June 14th, 2024 – Jazz.pt (Portugal)
by GONÇALO FALCÃO
“Callisto, the new group making its debut with “Meandering Demons”, is a quartet with a completely different line-up. With no bass player and no “rhythm section”, the music moves with great agility, speeding up, slowing down, agreeing and disagreeing. The piano helps set up the themes, but its nature is also soloist, adding fuel to the fire, with a sometimes processed sound, bordering on the Fender Rhodes, which is very interesting. Van Huffel’s saxophone is still enchanting: dry, essential, just like rock.
The music never gets repetitive because the group manages the different moments and the tempo intelligently. First of all, because the songwriting isn’t always in a stressed-out register like a computer game: “Glass Santuary” and “Interdimensional Plannet Hopper” take the foot off the gas so that we can hear the group working in another register. It’s also due to the curious engineering of the themes – half Ramone, half Steve Coleman – which means that a series of variations can emerge from the same formula: rhythmic rigor and complexity, compression/distension, the crossing of various solos, as in a four-way game without teams…”
(Translated with DeepL Translator – click link above for full original review)
June, 2024 – Jazz Mania (Belgium)
by Eric Therer
“Ce qui surprend quand on écoute Peter Van Huffel pour la première fois, c’est sans aucun doute l’intensité de son jeu. Il s’y donne corps et âme, sans fard, sans fart. Il peut être aussi à l’aise à l’alto qu’au baryton, en trio, en quatuor qu’en quintet. … L’année dernière, nous avions été séduits par « Mind Raid », son opus réalisé avec son trio Gorilla Mask. Même impression d’enchantement avec ce nouvel album au sein de Callisto. Un quatuor dépourvu de bassiste mais dont la rythmique (le batteur allemand Joe Hertenstein) est sagacement renforcée et épaulée par l’électronique, celle du pianiste grec Antonis Anissegos et celle de Van Nuffel lui-même. Peter ne joue ici que du baryton, ce qui confère aux sept longues compositions une densité plus grave, plus chargée. La trompettiste canadienne Lina Allemano complète ce tableau avec une présence et une force lyrique remarquable. …” (click link above for full review)
April 20th, 2024 – Jazz Buzz (Greece)
by Vangelis Aragiannis
Every minute of the album seems to be based on tradition and at the same time on its subversion through the prism of free jazz and the unpredictable, keeping the listener constantly alert. There are moments, such as on “Rude awakening”, in which the interaction is done in a rushing, raw to raw you might say, instinct-driven and spontaneous manner. On some tracks (“Interdimensional planet hopper”, “Ravenous hound”) the development is done at high speeds with one of the two horns and the only accompaniment being the drums until the group conversation begins. And elsewhere the tones drop to transport us to an eerie, otherworldly setting (“Transient being”) or a strange ritual (“Glass sanctuary”). (Translated with DeepL – for full Greek version click link above)
April 20th, 2024 – the Stash Dauber (USA)
by Ken Shimamoto
“After five albums with Gorilla Mask, an “angry jazz” band with rock dynamics, Berlin-based Canadian saxophonist Peter Van Huffel returns with something different: a bassless quartet called Callisto and a new Clean Feed CD, Meandering Demons. This time out, Van Huffel lays down his alto in favor of his baritone and turns his co-conspirators — fiery trumpeter Lina Allemano, pianist/electronic musician Antonio Anissegos, and drummer Joe Hertenstein — loose on a set of his finest compositions yet.
“Rude Awakening” opens with head-spinning loop effects on the bari before the band enters, playing an angular melody over an oddly syncopated groove, then Anissegos’ electronics propel the band into ’70s Miles territory. “Transient Being” is a darkly ruminative piece that creates a cinematic mood of unease. “Barrel of Monkeys” juxtaposes Andrew Hill-like impressionism with a shuffle beat. My favorite Van Huffel outing to date, and I’m now motivated to check out Allemano’s work as a leader.”
March 30th, 2024 – Bad Alchemy
by Rigobert Dittmann
PETER VAN HUFFEL’S CALLISTO Meandering Demons (Clean Feed, CF667): Wie beim Gastspiel mit Tryon versprochen, schickte mir Peter Van Huffel das Debut seines neuen Projekts mit der Trompeterin Lina Allemano, die auch schon Teil seines Octets war. Beide aus Kanada, ist er seit 2008 ein ganzer Berliner und sie auch schon zur Hälfte. Antonis Anissegos in seiner Vielseitigkeit von Messiaen oder der freien Opernkompanie Novoflot bis Air, Bee & Tree und Potsa Lotsa XL setzt am Piano, wie Van Huffel zum Baritonsax, noch Electronics ein. Joe Hertenstein, klopf klopf, kleine Welt, trommelt, ohne mit der Wimper zu zucken, ob da nun Dämonen eiern, ein Hund die Schnauze nicht voll kriegt (‘Ravenous Hound’) oder mit ‘nem Affen auf dem Buckel (‘A Barrel of Monkeys’). Wie schon mit The Scrambling Ex, im Meinrad Kneer Quintet, mit Tryon und natürlich als King von Gorilla Mask, zeigt Van Huffel jene Tugenden, ohne die ein ‘Interdimensional Planet Hopper’ – wie Ijon Tichy? – aufgeschmissen wäre, allem voran Schneid und stoische Resilienz, selbst angesichts des Absurden. Auch wenn gleich die sprichwörtlichen Gäule durchgehen, sitzt jeder Ton unisono mit Allemano, bevor das rau röhrende Bariton und die sprudelnde Trompete darüber querulieren, wo das alles hinführen soll. Nach einem tollen Trommelintro und verschnörkelter Kontrapunktik poltert, klickert, crasht JH weiter um die Tröter rum, und Anissegos clustert und quirlt dazu als Seehund. Zum getragen und verzerrt strahlenden ‘Glass Sanctuary’ setzt und loopt er dunkle Töne. Dann schwirren Trompete und Bariton als Biene und Hummel durchs knatternde und elektronisch gekrümmte, keyboardistisch befunkelte Planetensystem und peilen mit synchronem Rucken callistotropisch Richtung – Jupiter? Ursa Major? Van Huffel wirbelt als elektro-baritoner Twister die aufgekratzte Allemano mit sich, Anissegos klimpert elektrifiziert, JH crasht, unplugged, unter Dauerstrom zum Unisonozickzack der Bläser. ‘Transient Being’ triftet in geräuschigen, verrauschten, quäkigen, dröhnenden Kaskaden, das Piano träumt auf dem Pfad zur Linken Hand, nur JH ist auch da hellwach. Und klopft auch zuletzt ein Bläserstaccato in sprudelige und fieberkurvenzackige Wallung. Doch Anissegos kontert dissonant, worauf die Bläser sich in getragener Harmonie vereinen, eine schleppende Passage überwinden und, Dämonen und Affen, schleicht euch!, wie befreit die kynische Fahne schwingen. [BA 124 rbd]
March 29th, 2024 – Dragon Jazz
by Pierre Dulieu
*La Sélection d’Avril 2024*
“Assez éloignée du groove punk prisé par l’autre projet du leader, Gorilla Mask (également sur Clean Feed), la musique de Meandering Demons se joue plutôt dans un registre pluriel incluant passages pulsionnels et parties envoûtantes. … Libéré de tout dogme, le jazz de Callisto est à la fois cérébral et viscéral, impétueux mais d’une grande rigueur, post-free mais évocateur. Grâce soit rendue au label Clean Feed pour permettre à une telle musique d’exister !”
*click the link above for the full review
March 18th, 2024 – Nowhere Street
by Peter Magarsak
The Mutable Joys of Wind-Blown Sound
“The quartet delivers a jacked-up strain of post-bop, with punchy production flourishes that reflect a strong rock aesthetic. The leader sticks exclusively to baritone on this recording, heaping more heft on the sonic pile with lines that slash and swerve while also digging deep into the horn’s lushly abraded fabric […] Like Gorilla Mask, Callisto is high energy and though Van Huffel doesn’t ever really tap into any sort of fusion tropes, it seems pretty clear that he remains fond of some kind of rock music. “Glass Sanctuary” is larded with reverb and delay, and between its synth intro and Allemano’s expansive blowing shadowed by refracting electronics, it’s obvious that Van Huffel is no purist. Structurally it’s all rooted in jazz, but the group’s interest in expanding, smearing, and reconfiguring acoustic qualities into something abstract is the source of the band’s character.”
Peter Van Huffel 