The latest duet releases by Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp have a peculiar origin story. SMP Records in Germany, which previously issued the pair’s Special Edition Box (combining a CD, a Blu-Ray disc with concert footage, and a lengthy booklet), proposed another three-part project, TRIPTYCH, with a single CD, a vinyl album, and a cassette. For some reason, the idea was abandoned, although not before the music was recorded. Now it’s all digital only, and available from SMP’s Bandcamp store. TRIPTYCH 1 is now a Digital CD-Release, with an even dozen duets ranging from just over 3 minutes to just short of 6 minutes. The going is slow at first, with a distinctly tired feel to the first few selections. But a spectacular Four changes the atmosphere, and from there on, I’m once again impressed by the casual intensity of the Perelman-Shipp dual-mind. Highlights include the suddenly energetic flow of Four with some especially bracing playing by Shipp, the bluesy Nine with its start/stop rhythmic feel, the high-end clarity of Perelman’s saxophone excursions on Nine and Eleven, and Twelve, the free lullaby that concludes this particular encounter.
The two pieces that make up TRIPTYCH II, described as a Digital LP-Release, were recorded a month prior to Triptych 1. Although Ivo Perelman’s improvisational forays generally eschew any constraints on form or content, it seems that the time requirements of the original proposal had a mild but noticeable effect on the music. For Triptych I, the CD session with the broadest time parameters, the duo opted for a series of miniatures. For the LP session, the tracks are much longer, and there’s a kind of settling into the music after a few minutes of Side A before the tempo surges and the duo’s powerful attack comes into play. From there, the pair paces themselves as they embark on their trademark moment by moment inventions. The music provides endless thrills, filled with startling passages that reveal an instant logic. Side B often has a stately feeling, decorous and mostly subdued, but occasionally veering into denser waters. Finally, on TRIPTYCH III, the Digital Tape-Release, Perelman and Shipp conjure up another pair of extended improvisations. Side A starts on the quiet side, then quickly builds to a furious pace and an extended call-and-response dialogue. For the final piece, the mind meld continues with a fairly mellow and peaceful quarter-hour. It’s a lovely way to conclude this foray into the Perelman-Shipp universe.
CD: SMP Records SMP-013; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p); Brooklyn, NY, January 2022; Parts One-Twelve; 55:49. LP: SMP Records SMP-014; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p); Brooklyn, NY, December 2021; Side A/ Side B; 36:28. Cassette: SMP Records SMP-015; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p); Brooklyn, NY, December 2021; Side A/ Side B; 30:59. smprecords.bandcamp.com
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