MOUNTAINS REVIEW @ JAZZ.PT
★★★★★
by Rui Eduardo Paes
EN
"Subatin achieves a remarkable balance of parameters, uniting brain and physicality, and this is not exactly common. Just as it is not common, among us, to propose something that very obviously enters the domains of exploratory music, but has strong roots in the post-bop tradition of jazz."
"Mountains” goes directly to the list of the best national albums of 2021, and not just the jazz ones. From this year and undoubtedly from the last decade, with relevance that goes beyond borders. It's one of those albums, rare, that inspire, that changes everything, that goes down in history. Absolutely remarkable and not to be missed."
PULSAR REVIEW @ JAZZ.PT
★★★★
by Joáo Morado
EN
"In “Pulsar”, the guitarist experiments and takes risks, but he does it with truly musical material. There is melody, there is harmony, and there is rhythm. And there is experimentation, there is exploration, there is investigation. And much more. There is a world of possibilities of which the pioneering has only just begun. It's a fascinating album for its concept, method and execution."
PT
"Em “Pulsar”, o guitarrista experimenta e arrisca, mas fá-lo com matéria verdadeiramente musical. Há melodia, há harmonia, há ritmo. E há experimentação, há exploração, há investigação. E muito mais. Há um mundo de possibilidades do qual o desbravamento apenas agora foi encetado. É um álbum fascinante pelo conceito, método e execução."
MOUNTAINS REVIEW @ JAZZ MAGAZINE N°746 - MARS 2022 (Fr)
★★★★
by Yazid Kouloughli
EN
"...extends his palette to reverse effects and granularity, and even concrete sounds (Mountain #5) and converses with impressive ease with Demian Cabaud (b) and Pedro Melo Alves (dm), between rigorous structures, electronic abstractions and free unravelling towards a quasi-chaos always mastered ."
FR
"Le prolifique guitariste argentin Javier Subatin, remarqué dans nos colonnes en 2020 avec “Variaciones” et “Trance”, deux albums bien ficelés faisant la part belle à une solide technique et surtout à une créativité sans académisme, étend sa palette vers des effets de reverse et de granularité, et même des sons concrets (Mountain #5) et converse avec une impressionnante aisance avec Demian Cabaud (b) et Pedro Melo Alves (dm), entre structures rigoureuses, abstractions électroniques et détricotages free vers un quasi-chaos toujours maîtrisé. Leurs trois invités, Samuel Gapp (p), Joao Mortàgua (as) et Ricardo Jacinto (cello) complètent parfaitement ce tableau très réussi, qui profite d’un mixage du leader en personne."
MOUNTAINS BEST OF 2021 @ JAZZ.PT
by João Morado
"MELHORES DISCOS NACIONAIS
João Lencastre's Communion: Unlimited Dreams (Clean Feed Records)
Pedro Melo Alves' Omniae Large Ensemble: Lumina (Clean Feed Records)
Coreto: A Tribo (Carimbo Porta-Jazz)
Diogo Alexandre Bock Ensemble: Pipe Tree (JACC Records)
Javier Subatin: Mountains (Habitable Records)
..."
MOUNTAINS REVIEW @ FREE JAZZ BLOG
by Jim Marks
"Mountains finds Javier Subatin building on a series of strong recordings in the past few years"
MOUNTAINS BEST OF 2021 @ RIMAS E BATIDAS (PT)
by Rui Miguel Abreu
"
11 – Space Quartet – Directions (Clean Feed)
12 – José Lencastre NAU Quartet + Pedro Carneiro – Thoughts Are Things (Phonogram Unit)
13 – Coreto – A Tribo (Carimbo Porta-Jazz)
14 – Rodrigo Amado Motion Trio & Alexander von Schlippenbach – The Field (NoBusiness)
15 – Hernâni Faustino – Twelve Bass Tunes (Phonogram Unit)
16 – Garfo – Garfo (Clean Feed)
17 – João Mortágua Math Trio – Math Trio (Roda Music)
18 – Susana Santos Silva & Torbjorn Zetterberg – Tomorrow (Carimbo Porta-Jazz)
19 – Javier Subatin – Mountains (Habitable Records)
20 – Nelson Cascais – Remembrance: The Poetry of Emily Bronte (Robalo)
21 – Raquel Martins – The Way (Ed. de autor)
..."
MOUNTAINS FEATURED @ ONE MAN'S JAZZ - ALL ABOUT JAZZ
by Maurice Hogue
"At first listen I thought he sounded like Jakob Bro with a similar style and approach but as I got deeper into the recording, I noticed that he is pushing the limits of the guitar quite forward" (at 1:35:27)
MOUNTAINS REVIEW @ ALL ABOUT JAZZ
by Troy Dostert
"Subatin's prodigious output, and the sheer diversity of personnel on his releases thus far, reveals a restless creative spirit that seems hard to contain within conventional jazz categories. His 2021 album, Mountains, exhibits the same peripatetic sensibility, with another new group of colleagues from Portugal's ever-fertile scene."
PULSAR FEATURED @ WORD OF JAZZ - ALL ABOUT JAZZ
by Bob Osborne
"On this week's show, we feature new music from Escribir, a first look at a massive new release from Ivo Perelman, experimental music from Javier Subatin, the cool sounds of the Montreal Jazz Trio, improvisation from John Edwards, N.O. Moore, Eddie Prevost, & Alan Wilkinson some prog jazz from Krokofant and fascinating duets from Jane Ira Bloom & Allison Miller."
MOUNTAINS REVIEW @ JAZZ TRAIL (US)
★★★★
by Filipe Freitas
"The contemporary aural descriptions of these ‘mountains’ make us want to climb them to the top. Moreover, the telepathic camaraderie between the musicians is noticeable and the ambitious musical experiment wins."
