Mental Liberation Ensemble featuring Alfred 23 Harth

Meio Dia Meia Noite, a festival of music and performance taking place in Fábrica da Alegria, Porto, on November 22, saw Mental Liberation Ensemble welcoming into their ranks the german numerologist, musician and multimedia artist Alfred 23 Harth for an extremely satisfying improvised excursion into electroacoustics, resonances, noises, drones and many other manifestations of sound.

Not only the concert was very rewarding, but it provided a priceless chance to collaborate with Alfred, whose quiet, unassuming character doesn't betray his incredible body of work: he was a founding member of the classic improv-rock group Cassiber (with Chris Cutler and Heiner Goebbels), besides having collaborated with Paul Bley back in the late 60s; currently, he's also a member of Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Quintet.

The line-up was: Alfred 23 Harth - saxophone, contact mics, Kaoss Pad; Álvaro Almeida - trumpet, percussion; Gustavo Costa - drums; Henrique Fernandes - electric double bass; João Filipe - percussion; João Martins - saxophones; Jonathan Saldanha - organ, electronics, euphonium, objects; Filipe Silva - feedback generator, flute.

Expect more collaborations with Alfred next year!