Ivo Perelman/Nate Wooley/Matt Moran/Mark Helias/Tom Rainey: A Modicum of the Blues

     A Modicum of the Blues by a quintet of Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Matt Moran, Mark Helias and Tom Rainey starts out with the familiar-sounding cautious bleeps and bleats of a free jazz ensemble, which slowly develops into a busy soundscape. It’s every man for himself, usually with just a hint of the blues to be heard. Sometimes it feels like a rehearsal for a song that no one seems to know, but the musicians are happy to wing it just the same. Things get pretty stormy around the eight minute mark in Part 1, driven by Rainey’s energetic drumming, with Moran’s vibes peeking in and out of the mix as a relatively calm presence in the general tumult. The music then settles right down, as if the wildness of the last few minutes has drained everyone’s energy. Perelman has recorded duet sessions with Moran, Wooley, and Rainey. Helias and Rainey have worked often together in the last 36 years, including a trio session with Perelman and a quartet date that added pianist Matt Shipp. Combining all those talents into creating a cohesive statement as this session does, is to underscore the way that Perelman casts his sessions. When Perelman and Wooley open Part 3 with a display of matching high notes, followed by Helias’ bowed bass and Moran’s bell-like vibes, it’s their previous associations that provide the foundation for their mutual interactions in this larger setting. In the true spirit of free playing, Rainey lays out for the first minutes before introducing a busy rhythm that gooses the improvisation along. The blues feeling is most pronounced in Part 4, introduced by Helias’ firm bass lines and soon picked up by an alternately growling and soaring Wooley with delicate touches from Moran and Rainey. Part 5 leads off with bass and saxophone duet that starts out with heads figuratively butting before slowly dovetailing into a more subdued encounter as the rest of the ensemble comes into the picture. Notable in this piece is a dialog between Rainey’s drums and Moran’s vibes, with Helias’ bass happily caught in the middle. At the same moment, Perelman and Wooley rejoin the fray for the final few minutes of Part 5, with Perelman getting the last word as everyone else drops out. A Modicum of the Blues is a stellar example of the ethos of totally free improvisation in a small group context. Recommended. 

Fundacja Słuchaj; Nate Wooley (tpt) Ivo Perelman (ts) Matt Moran (vib) Mark Helias (b) Tom Rainey (d); Brooklyn, NY, May 2024; A Modicum Of Blues part 1-5; 46:43. sluchaj.bandcamp.com

Ivo Perelman, Mark Helias & Tom Rainey: Truth Seeker

  Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman continues to enlist new faces and sounds into his world of totally free improvisation. On Truth Seeker, the line-up is Ivo Perelman, Mark Helias & Tom Rainey for over an hour of robust instantaneous music making. Bassist Helias made his first recordings in 1977 with an Anthony Braxton quintet. Since then, he’s been heard with Dewey Redman, Anthony Davis, Barry Altschul, Jane Ira Bloom, and many, many others. The equally experienced Tom Rainey has played drums for a vast array of leaders, including Jane Ira Bloom, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, Tim Berne, and dozens more. And naturally enough, Helias and Rainey have found themselves in the studio together regularly since Helias’ Attack The Future CD for Enja (1990). Not long before Truth Seeker was recorded, Helias and Rainey joined Perelman and pianist Matthew Shipp for a Rogue Art release, which set the stage for this trio date. From the very first notes of the title track which opens the disc, their capacious rapport is apparent. Perelman starts the piece exploring the bottom ranges of his tenor sax, but within 4 minutes, he’s screamed his way to the outer limits. A charmingly peaceful bass and drums duet ensues as Perelman takes a short break, and the range of possibilities comes into view. Whether the music is peaceful, frenzied, or somewhere in-between, the collective inspiration never flags. Perelman’s gorgeous inventions on Devotion are breathtaking (no pun intended), as the rich throb of Helias’ bass and Rainey’s propulsive drums provide a suitably energetic backing. Bass and drums slowly grow quiet and then drop out, allowing for a calm and careful saxophone coda. Helias and Rainey kick off Mystical Vibration, then proceed to play with assertiveness when Perelman sneaks in with melodies in the upper reaches of his sax. Soon, Helias is wielding his bow and Rainey is paying a lot of attention to his cymbals. Things get awfully squeaky and dramatic for a few minutes before settling down again to explore new directions. And that’s the way the program proceeds, as they investigate some of the myriad sonic textures of a sax, bass, and drums unit. One of the more impressive aspects of this date is their uncanny synchronization in producing shifts in the velocity of the music. While it’s pointless to pick favorites on a session like this, as each piece proceeds to offer its own distinct rewards, I will note the fury of Spiritual Growth, the chattering introspection of Ubiquitous Light, and the tangled shards of melody on Life’s Meaning as particularly gripping excursions. Unreservedly recommended. 

Fundacja Słuchaj; Ivo Perelman (ts) Mark Helias (b) Tom Rainey (d); Brooklyn, NY, December 2022; Truth Seeker/ Devotion/ Mystical Vibration/ Spiritual Growth/ Ubiquitous Light/ Life's Meaning/ Intuition; 66:43. sluchaj.bandcamp.com