If high musical energy gets your interest, Maat Saxophone Quartet could be quite the perfect listening experience. They’re a young and upcoming Dutch-based group, all Portuguese, releasing their debut Ciudades at 7MNTN! New ensembles can bring something sparkling and eager, and Maat is no exception on this. No shyness for rough edges and enthusiasm, but also flavoured by a corresponding native language.
New music rising stars Ramin Amin Tafreshi (Iran) and Nuno Lobo (Portugal) wrote energy bombs for the quartet full of rhythmical and harmonic genius. And it’s how original as the material gets: Lobo just took his every day bus ride from his youth, and Tafreshi dances and scenes from Iranian city life. Next to this Guillermo Lago’s famous Ciudades can be enjoyed on this eponymous disc (the composer made an exclusive arrangement for this recording for sax quartet and string quintet) completed by arranged parts from Albéniz’ lovely First Spanish Suite. © 7 Mountain Records