Ivo Perelman: The Art Of The Improv Trio, Volume 3

Ivo Perelman is in familiar musical surroundings when pianist Matthew Shipp and drummer Gerald Cleaver join him for The Art Of The Improv Trio, Volume 3. (Earlier volumes are here.) But of course, each day is new and each encounter is fresh. The music on Part 1, the first of nine comparatively short impros, quickly turns turbulent and raucous. Cleaver in particular is playing hard and revving up the atmosphere. Shipp takes the bait at first before settling into a head-nodding calm. Perelman outdoes himself with his strangled cry in the upper regions of his tenor. The stately vigor of Part 2, of course, is completely different, except for the intensity, which seldom flags. Pianist Shipp has been playing with Perelman in one situation or another for decades now, and the pair never fails to find something new to explore. In his appreciative liner essay, Shipp makes special note of the “defiant persistence of it all. It just keeps coming at you, keeps growing in a completely independent and organic way.” The lyrical “trio-logue” of the delicately balanced Part 3 is a fine example of Shipp’s characterization of this unit’s approach to improvisation. Other highlights include the exploratory Part 4 with its down-tempo pacing, the chipper chase of Part 5 complete with a Cleaver drum solo, and the almost jaunty Part 7. It’s yet another powerful statement from Perelman and two of his closest collaborators.
Leo CD LR 773; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p) Gerald Cleaver (d); Brooklyn, NY, July 2015; Parts 1-9; 49:17. www.leorecords.com