Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp/William Parker/Bobby Kapp: Synesthesia

    The free improvisers Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, William Parker, & Bobby Kapp present just over an hour of thoroughly engaged and telepathically connected instant compositions on Synesthesia. The title refers to a perceptual phenomenon where, in its simplest form, one sensory experience (color, for example) stimulates an involuntary experience of another type (like a musical note). Although the incidence of synesthesia in the general population is small, as Wikipedia tells us, “synesthetes are very likely to participate in creative activities.” These five lengthy improvisations, undoubtedly titled after the fact, refer to synesthetic experiences, like First Color Heard, Blue Taste, and the closing One Sense. The myriad connections among these veteran performers would take up way too much space. Just from listening, it should be clear to anyone that these four imaginative players and profound listeners have achieved a lofty level of spontaneous creation. There is so much at work in this music that it merits frequent listening and relistening to fully grasp the exquisite intensity of Synesthesia. The prolific Perelman frequently uses a duo format, which creates one sort of conversational dynamic. The quartet setting, in this traditional tenor sax plus rhythm section format, suggests a more careful and mildly restrained approach to the music. Here that’s all to the good. In parts of First Color Heard, for instance, Perelman seems to channel jazz phraseology from the past, at times sounding like Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, of all people. Kapp’s delicate brushwork on Afterglow is the perfect complement to Shipp’s tender piano stylings and Parker’s calm bass lines, giving Perelman all the space he needs to rev things up. The jumpy One Sense, the longest track of the session, is an uptempo scorcher at first before it turns to a more contemplative mood to end the disc. The only thing to do is take a breather, and start listening again from the beginning. Totally recommended! 

defkaz records; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p) William Parker (b) Bobby Kapp (d); Brooklyn NY, December 2024; First Color Heard/ Phosphene/ Blue Taste/ Afterglow/ One Sense; 61:55. defkaz.bandcamp.com

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

Jeong/Bisio Duo : Morning Bells Whistle Bright

     The Jeong/Bisio Duo is pianist Eunhye Jeong on piano and Michael Bisio on bass. For their debut release, Morning Bells Whistle Bright, the pair is joined on several tracks by Joe McPhee on tenor saxophone and Jay Rosen on drums. On the first four tracks, the intrepid duo demonstrates their intense connection, achieved after only one previous duet concert. Joe McPhee was at the show. His tenor powers Drinking Galactic Water with his commanding presence and deep experience with totally improvised music. The sensitive Rosen introduces Morning Bells Whistle Bright with a bright wash of cymbals, exquisitely captured by Jim Clouse at his Park West Studio in Brooklyn. The moods of this improvising assembly of musicians range from peaceful to jittery. The back cover reads that all tracks “collectively composed spontaneously by the musicians,” and sometimes it can be hard to believe. For one example, on the second half of Morning Bells Whistle Bright, the quartet finds a groove and sticks with it. McPhee, taking his saxophone up into the stratosphere and down to the deep bottom, duels with an unperturbed Jeong on Disclosure. It’s usually the case that it isn’t very helpful to describe albums like Morning Bells Whistle Bright with any kind of description of what the musicians seem to be doing. Although utterly serious, there is a light-hearted and playful approach by the Jeong/Bisio Duo and friends that makes this a bracingly enjoyable (and relatively long) listening experience. Definitely recommended. 
    The storied ESP-Disk’ label has had a few slogans since it was started in 1963, including “you never heard such sounds in your life” and “the artists alone decide what you will hear,” but I think the latest is the best: “If you don’t like ESP-Disk’s releases, that’s your fault.” 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5095; Eunhye Jeong (p, exc on 9) Michael Bisio (b exc on 8) Joe McPhee (ts on 5-7, 10) Jay Rosen (d on 5-10); Brooklyn, NY, March 8, 2023; 1.Pont Expands to World/ 2.And Then She Was There/ 3.Dusts into Substantiality/ 4.Points Multiply Constant Beauty/ 5.Drinking Galactic Water/ 6.Morning Bells Whistle Bright/ 7.Disclosure/ 8.Jaybird/ 9.Superpreternatural/ 10.Coda for Tomorrow; 73:30. espdisk.com

Ivo! Ivo! Ivo!

     The following batch of reviews of Ivo Perelman releases in 2024 was already late when I started to get it together in January. Due to a series of personal and technical setbacks, it’s now really late. But the music, obviously, is still out there, and in the spirit of “better late than never,” I figured it was time to get this published.

    It’s nearly impossible to keep up with the spectacularly prolific tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman. His ethos of totally free improvisation with no preconceptions is dependent on like-minded collaborators, and over the years, he has continually expanded the pool of allies. You might say that Perelman “orchestrates” his sessions by choosing the right partner or partners for a given session in a similar fashion to the way that Duke Ellington would create his music based on the particular talents and predilections of specific individuals. Of his baker’s dozen releases in 2024, no two feature the same lineup of musicians. Here is a look at most of them, with links to a couple of previously released sessions:

    First out of the gate last year was the aptly titled Ephemeral Shapes. The trio of Ivo Perelman, Aruán Ortiz & Ramón López created vigorous and absorbingly dynamic sounds at this session, recorded in Barcelona in the spring. The lengthy shape 1 delineates many of the possible approaches to the tenor sax, piano and drums trio, and the remainder of the date features generally shorter pieces that focus in on various strategies and concepts that the opening establishes. To note just a few of them: shape 2 is cautious and somewhat melancholy, starting out quietly before then growing slowly into a kind of ecstatic intensity, then relaxing again until it reaches silence. López’s delicate brushwork on the gracefully paced shape 4 is a special treat. Perelman introduces shape 5 as if he’s about to play the blues before quickly taking off in another direction, with the fleet-fingered Ortiz and the sensitive López racing alongside. The delicate interplay of shape 6 gives the music an unusually emotional aspect, which makes it one of my favorite tracks of the date. That nuanced approach continues at the start of shape 7, which goes on to include an energetic duet exchange by Ortiz and López before Perelman re-enters the fray with some fiery high-register excursions. Ephemeral is the closing track, just under four minutes of summing up with a blast of interactive fireworks. Ephemeral Shapes is a winning effort. While perhaps ephemeral in the moment of making music, there always lurks the inevitable contradiction of preserving sounds, and to listen again and again. Fundacja Słuchaj; Ivo Perelman (ts) Aruán Ortiz (p) Ramón López (d); shape 1/ shape 2/ shape 3/shape 4/ shape 5/ shape 6/ shape 7/ Ephemeral; Barcelona, Spain, May 7, 2024; 47:13. sluchaj.bandcamp.com

    Interaction presents a series of twenty improvisations by a trio of Ivo Perelman, Barry Guy & Ramón López that dates back to 2017 Paris sessions Paris. It takes a widely experienced bassist to match wits with the endlessly inventive Perelman, and Barry Guy is certainly that. From his earliest recordings with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in 1966 and 1967, Guy has consistently associated with the boldest and most progressive musicians on the scene. Derek Bailey, Howard Riley, Paul Rutherford, Evan Parker and so many others have all collaborated with Guy in a wide range of improvisatory settings. Both Guy and Perelman were members of the Ramón López Freedom Now Sextet that released one album in 2009, so there’s a bit of history leading up to this trio. Their previous association serves them well here, as they explore the rarefied realm of instant composition in pieces that range from just over ten minutes to under two minutes. López’s playing is largely on the subdued side, leaving it to Perelman’s tenor excursions and Guy’s boldly inventive bass to lead the way. The velocity of the trio’s interactions seems to be the main focus of the group mind throughout the date, as the music plunges forward or stops on a dime. Interaction is a thoroughly enjoyable and distinguished collection, and a gem of freely improvised music. Ibeji Music; Ivo Perelman (ts) Barry Guy (b) Ramón López (d, tabla); Paris, France, 2017; Disc 1 (73:38): Tracks 1-11; Disc 2 (55:08): Tracks 1-9.

    Perelman’s most frequent musical partner is pianist Matthew Shipp. Magical Incantation is the latest excursion by the Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp Duo. More often than not, there are no titles on Perelman’s releases, just “track 1,”“ track 2,” and so on. For this date, the pieces are given names, with titles like sacred values and vibrational essence that are revealing of the spiritual intentions behind the concept of totally free improvisation. The opening piece, prayer, belies the general belief that free improvisation implies noisy and aggressive combinations of sounds. The utter gentleness of this piece sets the tone of the album, though the forty-five minutes of Magical Incantation is certainly not without its moments of heightened and intense passages. Take incarnation as one example, opening with Shipp’s forceful chording and Perelman’s treble screech before shifting into the kind of unified chase sequence that you’d swear had to be written, but of course was invented on the spur of the moment. It’s a whirlwind of sound, and a revelatory microcosm of the Perelman/Shipp duo in just under six minutes. Periodically, Perelman and Shipp have declared that there isn’t much more for them to explore as a duo, only to start up again and dazzle us with their endlessly creative wizardry. Magical Incantation is the latest radiant expression of their mutual admiration society. Soul City Sounds (CD & digital album); Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p); Brooklyn, NY, April 23, 2024; prayer/ rituals/ lustihood/ enlightenment/ sacred values/ incarnation/ vibrational essence/ magical incantation; 45:55. soulcitysounds.bandcamp.com

    The hard-blowing tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman is most often heard in a duet context, with a wide range of instrumentalists. Water Music, a RogueArt release by the Ivo Perelman Quartet, represents a new departure for the restlessly creative Perelman. With long-term duo partner Matthew Shipp at the piano, bassist Mark Helias on bass, and Tom Rainey on drums, this set is far from a typical sax-and-rhythm section affair. Pianist Shipp and bassist Helias have logged three previous recorded encounters since 2018, while Helias and drummer Rainey have recorded together frequently since a 1990 Helias session, often in Helias’ Open Loose ensemble. Perelman’s concept, of course, involves totally free improvisation, with nothing preconceived. It seems to this non-musician that utilizing musicians who have some prior playing experiences with one another and thereby developed a degree of mutual rapport would help in the creation of genuinely creative and cohesive music. And sure enough, the proof is in the listening. This quartet makes quite a racket when they have a mind to. The title track is a great example of the quartet’s proclivities, starting hard and fast, then slowing down to a crawl as they leave space for Helias’ invigorating bowing. Perelman’s high end yelps match wits with the bowed bass, as Shipp supplies his idiosyncratic voicings and Rainey keeps the whole thing from falling to pieces. The pace increases once again, a decision of the group mind that this ensemble exhibits throughout the date. Perelman’s releases tend not to have titles for the tracks, so their presence on Water Music gives the listener some clues about the feeling behind the music. In the absence of chord structures or strict tempos, naming pieces Life force or Fluidity can give the listener at least a small clue to the feeling that the quartet wishes to generate. Of course, the titles can mislead as well. The finale, Flow, doesn’t really flow much of the way through its nine minutes, concluding with a staccato section that everyone finds congenial, then ending abruptly. All in all, Water Music is yet another stirring date from Perelman and friends. Seriously recommended. RogueArt ROG-135; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p) Mark Helias (b) Tom Rainey (d); Brooklyn, NY, November 22, 2022; Entrainment/ Life Force/ Sound essence/ Human intuition/ Boundless/ Water music/ Fluidity/ Flow; 52:56. roguart.com

    Ivo Perelman clearly enjoyed the experience of his Water Music session. Truth Seeker, a trio date with Mark Helias and Tom Rainey followed just a month later. (I wrote about it here, and it was included in my “best of 2024" list, found here.) Eighteen months later, Perelman began his Duologues series with Duologues 1 : Turning Point with the sax and drums duo of Ivo Perelman & Tom Rainey. The resulting session is a joyous set of typically unbridled free improvisation. Perelman sounds especially inspired. His daring leaps from the bottom of the tenor’s range to the seemingly impossible upper reaches of the sax are full of surprises, with an immense vocabulary of squeals, honks, cries, moans, and much more. In the stratospheric range he has no peers in the lucid manipulation and clarity of his tone. Rainey is an all-around drummer, whose immense discography (232 sessions in the Lord Discography since 1980) attests to both his talent and his openness to a broad range of improvisational approaches. You might call the pairing of Perelman and Rainey to be a match made in music heaven, as they balance and stimulate one another in the process of creating these instant compositions. Recommended. Ibeji Music; Ivo Perelman (ts) Tom Rainey (d); Brooklyn, NY, April 17, 2024; 7 untitled improvisations; 56:13.
    I wrote about another quartet date, Embracing The Unknown, here; it’s also one of my selections for the best of 2024.

    The duo of Ivo Perelman & Nate Wooley brings together two fearless improvisers, each committed to exploring and extending the limits of their instruments. Tenor saxophonist Perelman and trumpeter Wooley have recorded together in a number of settings since 2017. Polarity 3 marks the third occasion that they’ve played in duo format. Over the course of just over an hour, the pair continues to display the mesmerizing playfulness that characterizes their encounters. The instant music that they create ranges from genuinely calm unisons (the opening track) to brief outbreaks of brutal noise and so much more. I get the distinct feeling that the musicians were just as surprised at the sounds they were making as the home listener is likely to be. Wooley’s extended vocabulary of bleats, blasts, and blurred runs is balanced by smooth and rounded passages of pure trumpet. Perelman likewise runs the gamut of soaring melodies, gritty rumblings in the bottom end, squeaks, burbles, and skittish squiggles in the extreme upper ranges of the sax. There are so many beautiful moments to savor: the moody calmness of Two, the duel of matching wits in the upper registers on Five, the growly noodling on Eight, and so much more. Bold and absorbing music that deserves to be heard again and again. Burning Ambulance #3; Nate Wooley (tpt) Ivo Perelman (ts); Brooklyn, NY, June 2024; One/ Two/ Three/ Four/ Five/ Six/ Seven/ Eight/ Nine/ Ten; 62:47. burningambulancemusic.bandcamp.com

    Two tenor saxophonists, Ivo Perelman & Ingrid Laubrock, match wits and meld their sounds on Duologues 3 : Crystal Clear. I can’t really tell the difference between them most of the time. Just when I think it’s Perelman on the left, I hear something on the right side that makes me think twice. What I do hear, all the way through, are two masters of improvisation and tonal control having a great time in the studio. By and large, the pair eschews the virtues of contrast, and seem more engaged in closely matched phrases and sonorities. But when they have a mind to engage in some fireworks, as they do when they figuratively battle in the second half of Two or most of Five, the energy level rises along with the complexity of their torrents of sound. The results are simply thrilling. The slowly evolving and calm Three is a gem of free improvisation, proving once again that the genre doesn’t have to rely on fast tempos and plenty of screaming. I’ve been listening closely and writing about Perelman’s music since around 2000, and the beguilingly vivacious Crystal Clear is a new favorite among his dozens and dozens of recordings. Definitely recommended. Ibeji Music; Ivo Perelman, Ingrid Laubrock (ts); Brooklyn, NY, 2024; One/ Two/ Three/ Four/ Five/ Six/ Seven/ Eight/ Nine; 48:53.

Jason Stein, Marilyn Crispell, Damon Smith, Adam Shead: spi-raling horn

  The quartet of Jason Stein, Marilyn Crispell, Damon Smith & Adam Shead is exuberant and boldly exciting on spi-raling horn. Drummer Shead is the least experienced member of the band, but he fits in beautifully, rising to the occasion with grit and rambunctious flair. Stead and the widely acclaimed bass clarinet specialist Stein had met in the recording studio before, on their 2020 duo session Synaptic Atlas. Pianist Crispell needs no introduction to anyone with a passing interest in modern piano stylists. Bassist Smith, whose Balance Point Acoustics label has several decades of releases to be proud of, has performed in free settings with such figures as John Butcher, Henry Kaiser, Frank Gratkowski, and Peter Kowald. The recording details for this date have the notation that “This is the entire studio session in the order in which it was played,” a rarity even in the realm of freely improvised music. The power and spirited interaction of these players is a testament to their distinctive individual sounds and their willingness to give utmost priority to the music of the collective. Picking favorite selections in a session like this one is a fool’s errand. Suffice to say that there are plenty of enticingly elegant and inventive passages in these instant compositions. Heartily recommended. 

Balance Point Acoustics bpaltd20020/Irritable Mystic Records IMR003; Jason Stein (bcl) Marilyn Crispell p) Damon Smith (b) Adam Shead (d); Chicago, IL, June 19, 2023; a song paid by singing/ a universe of otherwise/ the ground laid open/ saturant moon water/ so close it cut my ribs/ back and back out/ a rusted bell’s clank; 62:18. balancepointacoustics.com

Pedro Melo Alves: Conundrum Vol.1 - itself through disappearance

  Portuguese percussionist Pedro Melo Alves had an idea in 2019 that was at once simple and radical. The simple part was to arrange an performance series that convened on a regular basis. But each show in this adventure would feature Alves playing duos, as he writes, “with musicians I admire (and with whom I’ve never played before).” That’s a genuinely radical idea, and Alves cemented his enthusiasm for the unknown by recording all the shows and videotaping the events since 2022. His new CD is called Conundrum Vol.1 - itself through disappearance, with a baker’s dozen of duets with all kinds of folks. Four tracks team Alves with vocalists utilizing a broad range of vocal styles: Audrey Chen (screamy), Sara Serpa (playful, in what sounds like an invented language), Gil Dionísio (shouts. murmurs, and processed vocal), and Ece Canli (ethereal). The instrumentalists are similarly varied, with such sound sources as turntables and sampler (Ignaz Shick), MIDI accordion (João Barradas), electric guitar (Nuno Rebelo), harp (Jacqueline Kerrod), cello (Violeta Garcia), electronic and acoustic feedback, modified amplifier, and electrode oscillator (Rafael Toral), and healthy doses of electronics. Over the course of 13 untitled tracks, I find myself partial to the high-energy instrumental tracks, like the tough grooves of Alves and Shick, the savage electronics of Toral, and the introspective duet with pianist Marta Warelis, but the truth is that there’s something here for anyone even faintly interested in the excitement and unpredictability of free improvisation. The album’s title arises from the post hoc decision to made a CD compilation, “because the whole series wasn’t thought of with an album flow in mind.” Alves has done a yeoman’s job in listening back to all the shows, picking tracks, and coming up with an extraordinarily cohesive set of performances. The result is like the soundtrack to the wildest dream you’ve ever had, full of unusual sounds, strange characters, and an array of quick changes in attitudes and feelings. And it’s perfect on headphones! 

Clean Feed; Pedro Melo Alves (d, perc, elec) with 1. João Barradas (accor, MIDI accor)[5/14/22]/ 2. Audrey Chen (vcl, elec) [11/11/22]/ 3. Ignaz Schick (turntables, sampler, elec) [9/29/22]/ 4. Nuno Rebelo (elec g) [2/22/19]/ 5. Marta Warelis (p) [12/20/23]/ 6. Violeta Garcia (clo, elec) [4/12/23]/ 7. Jacqueline Kerrod (harp) [2/11/09] 8. Carlos Barreto (b) [5/13/22]/ 9. Sara Serpa (vcl) [7/9/22]/ 10. Rafael Toral (electronic and acoustic feedback, modified amplifier, electrode oscillator) [3/4/22]/ 11. Grilo (prep p) [2/12/19]/12. Gil Dionísio (vcl, elec) [10/19/23]/ 13. Ece Canli (vcl, elec) [2/9/23]; 74:03. Recorded in Lisbon, Portugal, exc. 4,7,9,& 11, Coimbra, Portugal and 4, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. cleanfeed-records.com

Ivo Perelman & James Emery: The Whisperers

  Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman & James Emery, the acoustic guitarist and co-founder of the String Trio of New York, engage in a series of spirited dialogues on The Whisperers, as Perelman’s leaps and skitters of sound find their match in Emery’s fractured guitar lines. Perelman’s sudden jumps in pitch and his exploitation of the altissimo range of his tenor are on the left side of the stereo image. Emery’s unusual voicings, and an immaculate technique which allows him to switch rapidly between single-note runs and flurries of strummed chords, plus his own grab bag of extended techniques, are all on the right. Their excursions into sound, transparently recorded by Perelman’s usual engineer Jim Clouse, make for exquisitely involving headphone listening. The delirious high-wire act of track two, a high-velocity improvisation that’s full of blustery and excitable tenor and jagged bursts of guitar, grabbed me right away. Track ten, with its twisted and abstracted take on the blues, is a marvelous concoction. Track four is another of my favorites of this set, as a braying Perelman and a hard strumming Emery come together and apart and then together again in a genuinely audacious display of the improvisers’ art. This set came out in August 2023, and got lost in the shuffle. I’m glad I found it again; highly recommended. 

Mahakala Music MAHA-065; Ivo Perelman (ts) James Emery (g); Brooklyn, NY, February 2022; Twelve untitled improvisations; 52:59. mahakalamusic.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

Matthew Shipp Trio: New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz

  The Matthew Shipp Trio, with Shipp on piano, Michael Bisio on bass and Newman Taylor Baker on drums, has been together for nine years, recording both as a self-contained unit and in quartets with flutist Nicole Mitchell (once) and with tenor saxophonist Rich Halley (three times). New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz is their latest effort, and although the title is reminiscent of classics like Bill Evans’ New Jazz Conceptions (1957) or Stan Kenton’s New Concepts Of Artistry In Rhythm (1952), this freely improvised set is most assuredly music of today. To be more precise, a specific day: August 2, 2023. That’s the day Shipp and company arrived at Park West Studios in Brooklyn to record New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz. It surely would have been at least a little different the day before - or the day after. As producer Steve Holtje writes, “Shipp comes in with a plan sketched out - not compositions, but a roadmap for all the tracks ...” There’s a stark simplicity to the openings of many of the pieces, often with short repeated phrases that develop and evolve through the complex interactions among the players. The overall feeling is ruminative and meditative, with occasional bursts of more feverish playing. As in most long-term relationships, whether personal or musical, Shipp, Bisio and Newman frequently appear to be mind-readers, but they have their little spats as well. The closing piece, Coherent System, is both the longest track (11:39) and also the most uninhibited. Shipp’s busy pianism is matched by Baker’s exuberant attack, as Bisio holds down the center with his usual calm approach. I really loved their previous ESP release, World Construct, and the more time I spend with New Concepts In Piano Trio Jazz, the more I delight in its nuances. It’s worth concentrating on each individual player while listening. Shipp’s time sense and use of unexpected silences form the foundation for these explorations. Bisio’s fat sound and unerring sense of the absolutely correct note is always a pleasure. And Baker’s work throughout the set is exceptionally fine, from his exquisite brush work on Sea Song to his assertive duet with Bisio that opens the jittery Non Circle. But it’s the occult alignment of the trio’s sensibilities that truly elevates this set into a gem of the improviser’s art. Absolutely recommended. 

ESP-Disk' ESP5085; Matthew Shipp (p) Michael Bisio (b) Newman Taylor Baker (d); Brooklyn, NY, August 2, 2023; Primal Poem/ Sea Song/ The Function/ Non Circle/ Tone IQ/ Brain System/ Brain Work/ Coherent System; 47:23. www.espdisk.com

Ivo Perelman/Chad Fowler/Reggie Workman/Andrew Cyrille: Embracing the Unknown

  Reggie Workman’s musical saw and Andrew Cyrille’s percussion are the first sounds you hear on Embracing the Unknown, a tremendously exciting new release by the quartet of Ivo Perelman, Chad Fowler, Reggie Workman, & Andrew Cyrille. Tenor saxophone giant Perelman’s basic vision serves to embrace the unknown by leaving all preconceptions behind when starting to play. Chad Fowler, performing boisterously on stitch and saxello, makes a fine partner in the front line with Perelman’s commanding tenor playing. Both bassist Workman and drummer Cyrille, now in their 80's, are oriented to positive listening and immediate responses to what they’re hearing from the other players. Between them, they have participated in over 450 sessions over the decades, and they’ve played together many times since they both worked in the Jazz Composer’s Orchestra back in 1968. Cyrille played in the Reggie Workman Ensemble in the Eighties, Workman played in Cyrille’s quintet in the early Nineties, and the pair also appeared frequently with saxophonist Oliver Lake as Trio 3, so it is obvious that there’s a mountain of mutual respect. It’s worth noting that Cyrille’s first appearance on record was in 1961 with the master saxophonist Coleman Hawkins (The Hawk Relaxes, for Prestige). For him to play on this date emphasizes both the underlying continuity of the jazz tradition and the always forward-looking attitude of this broadly experienced musician. As the energy level rises and falls and rises again over the 21 minutes of the opening title track, it becomes clear that this is a deeply attuned unit, balanced and mutually attentive to the smallest musical gesture. Soul Searching, which starts out as a marvelous duet between an almost bluesy Perelman and Cyrille’s scintillating brush work, grows into a dramatic quartet blow-out around the half-way point. The saxophones shriek and moan together, Workman holds down the bottom with his dexterous walk, and Cyrille is all over his drum kit. Self-reflection begins with a surprisingly sweet sax duet, and evolves into a sort of free ballad. The joyous Introspection is a vigorous musical conversation that bounces happily along. Self-analysis has a curiously spiritual aspect, with moaning horns, prominent bass, and Cyrille using lots of space in his playing. I’m especially fond of the closing Self-contemplation, featuring a highly animated opening saxophone duet. In the middle of the tune comes a chipper Cyrille solo, played on what sounds like the rims of his drums and a cowbell, soon joined by Workman’s bowed bass. The piece develops into an appealing four-way conversation, and just like that, 68 minutes of intense music is over. To embrace the unknown is to be absolutely prepared to accept the world as it comes. Good advice for living, and superb advice for improvisers. Totally recommended. 

Mahakala Music MAHA-076; Ivo Perelman (ts) Chad Fowler (stritch, saxello) Reggie Workman (b, saw, perc) Andrew Cyrille (perc); Brooklyn, NY, no date specified; Embracing the Unknown/ Soul Searching/ Self-reflection/ Introspection/ Self-analysis/ Self-fulfilment/ Self-contemplation; 68:02. mahakalamusic.bandcamp.com

Joëlle Léandre, Craig Taborn, and Mat Maneri: hEARoes

  The audience at the 2022 Festival Sons d’Hiver, at the Théatre Antoine Vitez in the Paris suburbs, was treated to an enthralling set of instantly invented music by the trio of Joëlle Léandre, Craig Taborn, and Mat Maneri. hEARoes, a beautifully recorded CD from the Rogue Art label, is the next best thing to having been there. Pianist Taborn and violist Maneri have worked together frequently since their first recorded encounter in 2000, on projects led by each of them, as well as for leaders like Steve Coleman and Ches Smith. Bassist Léandre’s vast discography includes encounters with Derek Bailey, Irene Schweizer, Anthony Braxton, and many others. The three came together for this show as a unit for the first time, and they cover a lot of improvisational ground in under 40 minutes. The seven sections appear to be one lengthy performance. The gentle strands of sound in the opening few minutes are followed by a sort of mutant blues instigated by Taborn’s piano on E. From there, the proceedings develop in a seemingly natural, if unpredictable way. Highlights include Léandre’s playful arco bass solo on A, the trio’s random dissonant squawk on R, and the delicate call and response that animates e. It’s the astute actions of the musicians, their reactions and further reactions that form the core of this ensemble’s music. The opportunity to listen to the set again and again allows the listener to fully grasp the trio’s marvelously close sensitivity and rapport. Definitely recommended. 

Rogue Art ROG-0127; Mat Maneri (vla) Joëlle Léandre (b) Craig Taborn (p); Ivry-sur-Seine, France, February 12, 2022; h/E/A/R/o /e /s; 39:42. roguart.com

Perelman/Shipp/Cosgrove: Live in Carrboro

  Faced with the time constraints of recorded music, we can see from the TRIPTYCH releases that Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp use those limits to subtly shape their free improvisations. When the pair is joined by drummer Jeff Cosgrove for a gig in Carrboro, North Carolina, the Perelman/Shipp/Cosgrove trio has to deal with the rather different circumstances of a live performance. Still inventing their music on the spot, Live in Carrboro offers one long improvisation, lasting just a few minutes shy of an hour. The delicacy of the opening minutes, as the trio adjusts itself to the room, soon evolves into a spirited conversation. When the clearly energized Perelman launches his tenor high into the stratosphere at around the 5 minute mark, it’s just the first of several climactic moments in the piece. Clearly they set out on this journey with the long haul in mind. At around the 13 minute point, Perelman lays out for a little while, giving room for Shipp and Cosgrove to engage in some improvisation on their own. When the saxophone comes back to goose things along, the music attains a vaguely funky rhythmic feel, leading up to some hard-blowing at around 20 minutes in. And so it goes, in fits and starts that are both utterly unpredictable and seemingly inevitable. By now, the intense cohesion displayed by Shipp and Perelman is no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. The addition of another deeply compatible player like Cosgrove, serves to amplify and intensify their connection. There’s a genially relaxed drum solo, with Cosgrove using mallets, around the half-way point of the set, giving Shipp and Perelman a break and a chance to regroup. Cosgrove is a resourceful percussionist, whose slim discography includes releases devoted to the music of Paul Motian (2011's For The Love Of Sarah by Mostly Motian) and William Parker (2018's History Gets Ahead Of The Story), as well as a previous CD with Perelman and Shipp (Live In Baltimore, recorded in 2017). Judging by his elegant fit with the Shipp-Perelman juggernaut, he’s a very close listener to the dynamics and interactions of his bandmates. This blend of three engaged and passionate improvisers offers and immensely satisfying musical excursion. Happily recommended. 

Soul City Sounds; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p) Jeff Cosgrove (d); Carrboro, NC, November 4, 2022; Live In Carrboro; 54:54. soulcitysounds.bandcamp.com

Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp: Fruition

Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman is not the kind of person who does anything halfway. His commitment to free improvisation, with no discussion or pre-conceived ideas, is total. He’s a hard worker, judging from the endless flow of new projects he’s involved with. One ongoing situation clearly energizes him: duets with pianist Matthew Shipp. Fruition is the eighteenth release by the Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp duo, and they’ve also played together in a variety of trio and quartet settings. Perelman says that the pair “believes it’s our best effort so far.” (Perelman is so prolific that I know that I won’t have the time to listen to all of them and judge for myself.) Fruition starts out in rapturous territory, with the stunning explorations of Perelman’s tenor and the utterly commanding piano of Shipp. It should go without saying that there’s not much point in even attempting to describe anything about the music. All I can say is that the power and conversational nature of these duets affect me in a profoundly soul-stirring way. By pure coincidence, I’ve just been reading China Miéville’s 2011 novel Embassytown. His speculative fiction concerns itself with an alien race who speak with two voices at once. Since they have no understanding of a single voice speaking to them, the humans who interact with them have evolved a system of ambassadors, paired humans who are so intimately connected that when they speak as one, the aliens understand them. The amazingly deep affinity that Shipp and Perelman continually exhibit in real time strikes me as a true-life manifestation of Miéville’s fascination with the very structures of language and thought. One factor, exposed here for perhaps the first time in Perelman’s massive oeuvre, is the resequencing of their improvisations, starting with Nine and concluding with Eleven. Whatever the criteria for this reordered batch of improvisations, Fruition is a thoroughly absorbing and fascinating display of two extraordinary talents at work and play. 

ESP-Disk’ ESP5070; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p); Brooklyn, NY, June 25, 2021; Nine/ Thirteen/ One/ Seven/ Fourteen/ Two/ Six/ Three/ Four/ Ten/ Eleven; 59:20. www.espdisk.com

Ivo Perelman: Brass And Ivory Tales

    The prolific tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman is not the kind of person that does things halfway. As a practitioner of totally free improvisation, he’s recorded dozens of projects with pianist Matthew Shipp, indulged his interest in playing with string players in a series of 4 discs on Leo plus a session with the Arcado String Trio on the FSR label, and teamed up with bass clarinetists Rudi Mahall and Jason Stein to record several hours of duets (also on Leo). His latest opus, celebrating his 60th birthday, is Brass And Ivory Tales, a collection of 9 CDs pairing Perelman’s formidable concept and mastery of the tenor saxophone with an equally formidable array of deeply creative pianists. Each CD is a “tale,” separated into “chapters,” with as few as two long pieces (Dave Burrell) or as many as eleven (Sylvie Courvoisier). While there is no indication that the chapters are sequenced in the order in which they were played, it often feels that way. The strategy is always the same: say hello and start to play with no preconceptions whatsoever. These tales took seven years to record, starting out with a duet with Marilyn Crispell in March 2014. The most recent encounters are with Aaron Parks in March 2020, and a final flurry of activity in 2021 of sessions with Vijay Iyer, Craig Taborn, and Angelica Sanchez. Save for a 1996 quartet session featuring Crispell, these are all first encounters. That serves to demonstrate the immense power of the free improvisation scenario when it’s approached by the right performers, where Perelman’s dedication and practice can lead to so many different musical zones. The presence of musicians from around the world is notable. It’s also worthy of note (although perhaps it shouldn’t be) that three of Perelman’s encounters are with women. 

Sometimes the mood is expansive and the players dialog at length. The set with revered elder Dave Burrell on the first disc is like that, with two long improvisations that fill an hour. The musicians are eminently compatible and thoroughly engaging in Chapter One, a 37-minute exploration that touches on the blues and hints at a number of standards. Chapter Two is a bit edgier with Perelman in a generally calm mood and Burrell maintaining his usual rigorous focus.

Tale Two, with Marilyn Crispell is beyond gorgeous, with each player deeply rooted and equally passionate about the direction of the music. The pianist’s introduction to Chapter One is utterly arresting, before Perelman enters the picture with peaceful gravity and power. There’s no letup in the course of nine chapters that range from the soulful (Chapter One and its mirror image, Chapter Nine) to the absolutely wild (the herky-jerky swing of Chapter Two and the powerful Chapter Eight).

Emotion runs high in the duets with Aruán Ortiz. The pianist likes to begin with simple structures that let his notes ring out while Perelman counters with bent notes and taut lines that twist and turn. Ortiz’s command of the keyboard, like the combination of right hand melody with left hand bass clusters that powers Chapter Three, provokes Perelman into some of his most exuberant playing. There is always such impressive playing on Perelman’s releases that it’s hard to pick favorite moments, but I will note my pleasure at the extreme density of Ortiz’s playing and Perelman’s impassioned responses on the lengthy Chapter Four and at the dynamic sweep and spontaneously generated architecture of Chapter Five. This eminently satisfying encounter concludes with the gentle and peaceful Chapter Seven. 

Tale Four presents Perelman in musical conversation with pianist Aaron Parks. Parks is generally considered a mainstream player, working with, among many others, Joshua Redman, Terence Blanchard, and Ambrose Akinmusire. That makes his presence here perhaps the most surprising meeting of the nine discs. As told by Neil Tesser, Perelman’s indefatigable chronicler, the two met over dinner and hit it off, especially when Parks expressed his admiration for Matthew Shipp. Perelman notes Parks’ “beautiful round harmonies, and his melodic playing” leading to the saxophonist’s maximizing his “expressionism without resorting to harshness.” The pair’s three long and deeply absorbing improvisations testify to the protean nature of Perelman’s disciplined musical approach and his ability to dramatically adjust his contribution to the music while always retaining the core of his sound. 

Sylvie Courvoisier, Perelman’s partner on Tale Five, starts off Chapter One with a calm and stately melody, the first of eleven instant compositions. Perelman is almost jaunty on Chapter One with an unusually low-key attitude . By contrast, Chapter Two jumps right out at the start, with a feral saxophone attack and dissonant power chords at the piano. These two performances, taking up the first six minutes of this fifty-five minute ride, prime the listener to expect an immense range of expression, an expectation that is more than fulfilled in the balance of the CD. The blend of high-register saxophone and the inside-the-piano creaks and bangs makes Chapter Three one of the real gems here. The seemingly random bursts of Chapter Seven lead to some of the most energetic playing of the date. The frantic clatter of Chapter Eight arises from Perelman’s excitable extreme high register playing coupled with Courvoisier’s dense pianistics, including more inside the piano techniques to give extra spice for their soundworld. The final three chapters tend to be more relaxed and almost wistful, an astute and welcome conclusion to a thoroughly rewarding and absorbing encounter. Courvoisier has frequently recorded in duo settings, and it shows in the boldness and emphatic nature of her playing. Their collaboration makes me look forward to more work by this duo.

The Spanish pianist Agustí Fernández is Perelman’s partner for Tale Six, bringing his refined sensibility and bold imagination to bear on the proceedings. Beginning with the relatively serene Chapter One, the pair ranges far and wide in their search for fresh sonorities and felicitous textures. Chapter Two is explosive and bold, a high-energy call and response romp. Chapter Three extends the density of Chapter Two into a roller-coaster ride of unleashed power. Chapter Five features Fernandez rattling around the inside of the piano and making some rowdy sounds that provoke Perelman into some squeaky realms of his own. Another ferocious duet erupts in Chapter Six with the pianist’s thick onslaught starting things off at a high level of intensity. They dial back the power, though not the fervency, for a sort of free ballad on Chapter Seven. That’s followed by the rather jolly combination of Fernandez back inside the piano strumming the strings as Perelman builds a melody from a few repeated notes. The disc concludes with Chapter Nine with Fernandez making a relatively rare move to the very high end of the piano and Perelman responding by going down low on his horn. For much of this disc, Perelman concentrates on the lower registers of his tenor, with only the occasional leap into the stratospheric heights that he often inhabits. Tale Six offers a winning encounter where both musicians sound thoroughly at home and engaged. 

Perelman’s collaborator for Tale Seven is the frequently dazzling pianist Craig Taborn. Chapter One of their encounter clocks in at over 26 minutes, and the pair is by turns contemplative, brusque, combative and tender. Taborn’s forceful and highly energized playing leads Perelman into sustained frenzies of sound, complete with the occasional vocal exclamation. Their brisk liveliness never falters through five chapters, loaded with passages of astounding beauty. As the saxophonist told Tesser, Taborn’s “colossal drive tapped into gigantic streams of energy” and the power of their collaboration is impressive indeed.

The duets with Angelica Sanchez on Tale Seven often deliver the uncanny sense that the music derives from an underlying composition. Clearly it’s an illusion, as the forms are generated spontaneously, but Sanchez’s brittle and imperturbable lyricism seems to move Perelman ever so slightly in the direction of more traditional styles of improvisation. That’s not always the case, as the blustery Chapter Four or the saxophone bleats and muted piano clusters of the first half of Chapter Six prove. Still, the nine chapters of Tale Seven comprise a case study in the immense possibilities of free improvisation and the virtues of close listening. The sustained bittersweet free ballad that concludes the disc is yet another of the collection’s highlights.

For the final disc, Perelman is joined by Vijay Iyer for five improvisations. Iyer, who has distinguished himself as a key collaborator with artists as varied as alto saxophonists Steve Coleman and Rudresh Mahanthappa, rapper Mike Ladd, and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, proves to be an adventurous and provocative partner for Perelman. From the first few minutes of Chapter One, the duo’s connection is evident in the way that the music ebbs and flows. Displaying his usual intensity, Perelman ranges all over his horn amid Iyer’s resourceful and busy piano stylings. Chapter One is over 17 minutes of incendiary and enthralling music, a tour de force of improvisatory music-making. In truth, if Tale Nine had only this single chapter, it would stand as significant and beautifully realized. But of course, there’s much more to be heard here. There’s the slowly meandering conversation of the brief Chapter Two followed by the complex elegance of the 25 minute Chapter Three with its ultra-dynamic shifts of pacing and density that grab your attention and keep it, lest you miss another serendipitous passage of instant music making. Chapter Four continues to be chock full of radical changes in tempo and fury including a hair-raising section of spiraling intensity that stops abruptly at about the halfway point of the 14 minute piece. The final Chapter Five presents a short (2:28) but furious argument that seems to me almost funny as a fragment of stereotyped “free jazz” and a marvelous way to end the disc, and the whole box set. 

Ivo Perelman’s bold and expressive style of free improvisation is certainly an acquired taste, but, from my perspective, one very much worth acquiring. The heartily recommended Brass And Ivory Tales is another milestone in the burgeoning discography of Ivo Perelman. 

    Fundacja Słuchaj! (Poland); Ivo Perelman (ts) with Disc 1 (57:10, in two chapters) Dave Burrell (p), January 2020; Disc 2 (52:42, in nine chapters): Marilyn Crispell (p), March 2014; Disc 3 (55:40, in seven chapters) Aruán Ortiz (p), December 2017; Disc 4 (39:42, in three chapters) Aaron Parks (p), March 2020; Disc 5 (54:26, in eleven chapters) Sylvie Courvoisier (p), March 2018; Disc 6 (54:10, in nine chapters) Agustí Fernández (p), July 2017; Disc 7 (65:01, in five chapters) Craig Taborn (p), June 2021; Disc 8 (61:29, in nine chapters) Angelica Sanchez (p), June 2021; Disc 9 (63:16, in five chapters) Vijay Iyer (p), May 2021. All tracks recorded in Brooklyn, NY. sluchaj.bandcamp.com/album/brass-ivory-tales

Michaël Attias & Simon Nabatov: Brooklyn Mischiefs

 

Michaël Attias & Simon Nabatov met to play together for the first time in July 2014 when the alto saxophonist and pianist were booked together at a Brooklyn club. Brooklyn Mischiefs was unearthed from Nabatov’s archives during a pandemic that precludes events like this one. The program offers five spontaneous inventions plus a brief look at Herbie Nichols’ The Spinning Song. Their intense concentration and cohesion are evident from the very start of Glimpses & Tangles, the aptly named first track. Attias likens the “miracle of a happy first encounter” to the “sudden ease of dreams ...” The key difference, of course, between dreaming and actually living the dream is the intention and action required to bring their music into being. In this respect, the adaptable Nabatov and the volatile Attias make an exemplary pair with instant compositions seemingly plucked from the air. The moods range from careful tone poems to full-on rampages and almost everything between those poles, sometimes in the space of one improvisation, like Languid. That’s the first half of a medley with the Nichols tune, alluded to then elaborated by Nabatov. Attias re-enters the scene and they proceed to spar and commune for a spell. While I’m partial to the jauntier sections of their journey, like the second half of Gowanus at Night or the happy-go-lucky feeling that emerges in the midst of Glances, improvised music fans will find much here to hold their interest. Recommended. 

Leo CD LR 901; Michaël Attias (as) Simon Nabatov (p); Brooklyn, NY, July 6, 2014; Glimpses & Tangles/ Gowanus By Night/ Medley: Languid, The Spinning Song/ Glances/ Poetic Bug Bite; 53:38. www.leorecords.com

Brandon Seabrook & Simon Nabatov: Voluptuaries

  The on-line Merriam-Webster dictionary defines Voluptuaries as people “whose chief interests are luxury and the gratification of sensual appetites.” Those “sensual appetites” surely include the deep pleasures of making purely improvised music, and Brandon Seabrook & Simon Nabatov take a day of recording at Köln’s well-regarded LOFT to prove the point. Since his 2003 debut on John Zorn’s Tzadik label, guitarist Seabrook has recorded with a broad range of sonic explorers, including trumpeter Peter Evans, alto saxophonist Jeremy Udden, bassist Ben Allison, and drummer Tomas Fujiwara. Pianist Nabatov, who made his first record in a trio with bassist Ed Schuller and drummer Paul Motian back in 1986, when Seabrook was just a couple of years old, has an impressive résumé that includes work with the likes of clarinetist Perry Robinson, trumpeter Franco Ambrosetti, trombonist Nils Wogram, and many others. There’s a relatively calm core to the pair’s improvisations for the first few pieces, as they grow accustomed to one another. The combination of Seabrook’s biting and unabashedly electrified guitar sound with his penchant for angular leaps between notes and plenty of silence gives an improvising partner plenty to work with - or against. By the time the raucous Squalid Simplicities rolls around, the sparring is aggressive and noisy. The ebb and flow of Foam is a highlight, as a detuned Seabrook and a pumped-up Nabatov chase one another in sound. The pianist takes the lead on Grosbeak with expansive chords and lush harmonies. Seabrook joins the fray with clipped tones and bursts of pure noise with plenty of pedal effects. As the disc proceeds, it’s obvious that Seabrook and Nabatov are thoroughly attuned to one another. Their quick reaction times and a shared sense of forward motion mean that the music always sounds like a genuine duet and not merely two players side by side with very little interaction. While it’s not the kind of music where the details will stay with you afterwards, it’s a thorough delight to listen to, from the fragmented call and response of Daggers to the startlingly beautiful title track that concludes the disc. Happily recommended. 

Leo CD LR 894; Brandon Seabrook (g) Simon Nabatov (p); Köln, Germany, November 4, 2019; Daggers/ Who Never Dies/ Dust Storms/ Fresnel Lenses/ Squalid Simplicities/ Foam/ Grosbeak/ Spirit of the Staircase/ Diamonds and Dust/ Vex Me/ La Femme Makita/ Voluptuaries; 48:37. www.leorecords.com

Dave Sewelson: More Music For A Free World

Baritone saxophonist Dave Sewelson is probably best known as a member of the long-running Microscopic Septet. He steps out on his own with More Music For A Free World, a brawny, take-no-prisoners excursion into freely improvised music. His companions are the well-traveled trombonist Steve Swell, the inimitable William Parker on bass, and the relatively obscure Marvin “Bugalu” Smith on drums. Smith played in the Sun Ra Arkestra in the Eighties, then reappeared on the scene in the early part of this century, recording with pianist David Haney and saxophonist Teodross Avery. The quartet comes out wailing on Memories, with everyone listening closely and contributing to the overall effect. The attractive combination of baritone sax and trombone has not been exploited very much in jazz over the years. Offhand, I can only think of a 1957 Curtis Fuller session with Tate Houston on baritone, Gerry Mulligan with Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone in the mid-Fifties, a couple of obscure Serge Chaloff live recordings made in 1950, and Music For A Free World, this group’s debut (FMR, 2018). Sewelson and Swell have both been members of Parker’s large ensembles, and so their dynamic interplay comes as no surprise. Parker is well-known as a powerhouse soloist, and he’s adroit in that role, but it’s his rock-solid ensemble work that stands out here, along with his occasional dialogues with drummer Smith. Smith kicks off the second track, Dreams, with a grooving drum solo, and the band moves into nearly a half-hour of inspired activity. Most often, it seems like four people are soloing at the same time, popping in and out of the musical scrum as the circumstances demand. I love the way that Smith comments on the proceedings and subtly ups the tempo around the 4-minute mark, adding more grit and force to the ensemble. From that point, the music takes off for parts unknown. Once again, the horns drop out for a spell, leading to a particularly fine bass and drums section, before Sewelson and Swell come back to toss riffs back and forth over mildly agitated rhythms. The finale, Reflections, eases up on the tempo, but maintains their core approach of open-ended improvisation. This is the kind of free jazz that will have you nodding your head and tapping your feet in response to the quartet’s freewheeling power if you haven’t fled the room at the first hint of their forceful attitude. Count me as one who happily sticks around for all of it.
Mahakala Music MAHA20-002; Steve Swell (tbn) Dave Sewelson (bari s) William Parker (b) Marvin "Bugalu" Smith (d); Brooklyn, NY, December 17, 2018; Memories/ Dreams/ Reflections; 59:00. sewelsonics.com

Jordan/Futterman/Swell/Fielder + Jordan/Futterman/Parker/Drake

Percussionist Alvin Fiedler first appeared on record with a 1958 edition of the Sun Ra Arkestra. A charter member of Chicago’s AACM, he played with Roscoe Mitchell in the mid-Sixties, appearing on the seminal Sound album for Nessa. According to his Wikipedia entry, he returned home to Mississippi in 1969, and began working with saxophonist Kidd Jordan in 1975 in what became the Improvisational Arts band. A mainstay of the New Orleans avant-garde scene, Fielder had lengthy musical relationships with Jordan and pianist Joel Futterman, and getting as far as Dallas, Texas, with brassman Dennis Gonzalez. His final recording, issued by the Big Easy’s invaluable independent label Valid Records, is Masters Of Improvisation, featuring a quartet of Kidd Jordan, Alvin Fielder, Joel Futterman & Steve Swell from a live concert at the Old U.S. Mint in New Orleans in late January 2017. After a few tentative minutes to settle into the space, the second half of Expansion is a wild, no holds barred freely improvised onslaught, complete with a hip drum solo to end the piece. The exploratory 25 minutes of Residue start out with trombonist Swell and drummer Fielder in a low-key duet. Futterman joins the fray with darting piano chords as the intensity builds slowly and surely. Futterman and Fielder go at it for a spell in a busier frame of mind. Jordan then enters the scene, in a relaxed mood, and the music slows down again to give listeners a chance for some close listening. Overall, it’s quite an enjoyable exposition, with Fielder setting the pace and controlling the dynamics. The track flows directly into the finale, a cheerfully energetic conversation with plenty of interplay and direct communication, and ending the set with an unexpected sidelong glance at Doc Pomus’ Lonely Avenue! A fine night of music indeed.

   Fielder passed away at the age of 83 in January 2019, and in June of that year, the quartet of Edward "Kidd" Jordan, Joel Futterman, William Parker, & Hamid Drake offered A Tribute to Alvin Fielder, Live at Vision Festival XXIV. It’s clear from the first seconds of the single 45-minute improvisation that spirits were high and the musicians totally engaged. Bassist William Parker and drummer Hamid Drake form one of the most potent rhythm teams around. One of the great musical experiences of my life was witnessing a quartet of Parker and Drake with the twin-tenor threat of Edward “Kidd” Jordan and the late Fred Anderson, and so I had great expectations for this Vision Festival performance. I wish I could have been there, but I’m very happy to report that this Mahakala Music release is deeply satisfying from start to finish. As is usually the case with free improvisation, a blow-by-blow account is relatively pointless and unhelpful. But I will note Jordan’s playful evocation of eden ahbez’s Nature Boy, Futterman’s lush and deep concentration at the low end of the piano, and the uncanny empathy displayed at every moment by Parker and Drake as the music ebbs and flows. As Kidd Jordan (85 in May, 2020) tells the audience at the end, he’s “blessed to play with younger fellows” and, quoting the blues song Going Down Slow, he’s had his fun, “if I don’t get well no more.” He had a ball, he told them, and now it’s your turn to have a ball at home. Happily recommended.
Masters of Improvisation: Valid VR-1016; Steve Swell (tbn) Kidd Jordan (ts) Joel Futterman (p) Alvin Fielder (d); New Orleans, LA, January 24, 2017; Expansion/ Residue/ Sawdust on the Floor; 47:50. validrecords.com
Tribute To Alvin Fielder: Mahakala Music; Edward "Kidd" Jordan (ts) Joel Futterman (p) William Parker (b) Hamid Drake (d); Brooklyn, NY, June 12, 2019; A Tribute to Alvin Fiedler; 45:03. mahakalamusic.com

Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp: Amalgam

You might think that after dozens of recordings of freely improvised music, the saxophone and piano team of Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp would have run out of things to say. They’ve thought it themselves, proclaiming on a few occasions that their duo projects were over. But time has a way of upending expectations, and after extended recording sessions in 2018 (Efflorescence, Vol. 1, with a second volume on the way) and a live recording in Nuremberg in June, 2019, the pair was back in Brooklyn’s Park West Studio in January 2020 to create their latest opus, Amalgam. There’s a peaceful feeling to the first of twelve sections as the duo seems to have reached a serene plateau of other-worldly melody. Shipp’s gently rolling phrases are met by a relatively subdued Perelman in an impressive piece that amounts to a sort of overture for the session. There’s some outright contentiousness in the second part, as if the duo was having a dispute about the direction of the music. Perelman’s endless assortment of shrieks, moans, wails and frenzied screeches is matched by Shipp’s insistent chording and rhythmic complexity. The third section is calm again, though with an undercurrent of dissonance that threatens to erupt but never does. The twelve sections of Amalgam are more introspective than usual for this pair. Close listening is absolutely critical when you’re collaborating with a partner to create music out of the thin air with no preconceptions, and here Perelman and Shipp seem to have reached a new level of instant communication. As Perelman told their tireless chronicler Neil Tesser, “We play less now and say more. We are having a new appreciation for the space between notes and between chords. So now each note carries more weight in the overall structure; each note breathes because of the space around it.” Strictly speaking, an amalgam is an alloy of mercury with another metal which may be a liquid, a soft paste, or a solid, depending upon the proportion of mercury. It’s a word nearly always associated with dentistry, but metaphorically speaking, a mixture of elements, with the result dependent on the particular proportions, is a perfect way to describe this music. Or as close to perfect as words might reach to describe the mystical communion that Shipp and Perelman attain with their instruments. A beautiful session, strongly recommended. Mahakala Music; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p); Brooklyn, NY, January 2020; Amalgam, parts 1-12; 47:29. mahakalamusic.com

Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp/William Parker/Bobby Kapp: Ineffable Joy

With an album called Ineffable Joy, and track titles like Jubilation, Ebullience, and Bliss, there’s no need to wonder about the way that the special quartet of Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, William Parker & Bobby Kapp feels about their April 2018 ESP recording. There’s a ton of history connected with this release. Saxophonist Perelman and pianist Shipp have recorded dozens of duo sessions over the last quarter-century, and bassist Parker has joined them for several trio and quartet dates over the years. Shipp and Parker were long-time partners in the David S. Ware quartet, and have participated in numerous other projects together. Drummer Kapp made his first recordings as a member of Noah Howard’s group for ESP-Disk in 1968. After a big gap in his recording activities, he made a duet album with Shipp in 2016, joined Perelman and Shipp for the trio release Tarvos: The Art of Perelman-Shipp Vol. 2 (Leo Records), and with Parker on board, played on the 2017 Leo quartet release Heptagon. William Parker’s first recording session was also for ESP, on Frank Lowe’s Black Beings in 1973. And since 2012, Matt Shipp has done four projects for the revitalized ESP imprint. The juxtaposition of Perelman’s virtuosic saxophone, Shipp’s lush voicings and torrential playing, Parker’s deeply rooted bass, and Kapp’s carefully calibrated percussion results in a true bounty of sound. As fascinating as it is to follow along with the Perelman-Shipp duo music as saxophonist and pianist provoke one another, when there are four powerful personalities involved in a free improvisation, the listener’s task is complicated by the sheer force of the music. With so much happening at every moment, it’s tricky to know what to pay attention to. Music that exists in the moment can be, paradoxically, ripe for hearing again and again. First to glean the general picture, then a second pass to listen closely to the sax, another for piano, and so on. After a couple of plays, I find myself partial to both the frisky and urgent Bliss, which maintains its manic intensity for nearly nine minutes, and the swirling maelstrom that they call Exuberance. But next time, and every time thereafter, new facets and nuances will continue to be revealed. Strongly recommended.
ESP-Disk ESP5036; Ivo Perelman (ts) Matthew Shipp (p) William Parker (b) Bobby Kapp (d); Brooklyn, NY, April 21, 2018; Ecstacy/ Ineffable Joy/ Jubilation/ Ebullience/ Bliss/ Elation/ Rejoicing/ Exuberance; 50:06. www.espdisk.com