Herb Robertson

In just the last few years of working and living in Lisbon, Brazilian saxophonist and composer Alípio Neto has flowered, if you will, as an important force in free jazz. “The Perfume Comes Before the Flower” is evidence that his influence now extends way beyond the borders of Portuguese jazz scene.

It often seems like there’s an inverse proportion between the number of musicians involved in creating improvised music and the balance between the instrumentalists. The more players who are involved, the greater the imbalance. Anything larger than a trio usually features at least one subservient member.