M.L.A. 'Blek', Blek (side A)

1981's Blek features an interesting line-up with 3 brass players plus Fred Van Hove's piano.  All four have excellent facial hair in the back cover photo.  The most surprising thing about Blek is that it still dates from an era when Radu Malfatti played audible notes on the trombone and not just pointillistic, minimal textures.  The improvisations here are incredibly diverse—each short track has a coherent idea and palette.  At its least interesting times, Blek sounds like a lot of other improv records from this era, with an emphasis on call-and-response.  Other parts sound very contemporary, with van Hove creating textures inside the piano that pull the music far from tonal references.  The piano is recorded with more space and less presence than the horns—it almost sounds like it's on a different record.  The understated cover drawing is both beautiful and appropriate.