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: Triptych

  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

Chris Madsen: The Trio Book

  Tenor saxophonist Chris Madsen is joined by bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall for The Trio Book, a foray into delicately balanced and intimate chamber jazz. The steady and decisively interactive bassist Sommers has recorded frequently since his first session with singer Eden Atwood in 2000. Since then, he’s been heard most frequently with pianist Dan Cray and reedman Geof Bradfield. The Chicago-based drummer Hall has also worked with Bradfield, along with luminaries like trumpeters Malachi Thompson, Brad Goode, and Terell Stafford. As a team, Hall and Sommers have played on sessions led by Bradfield, trumpeter Darren Johnston, tenor saxist Adam Larson, and a previous effort by Madsen. And I’d bet they shared the bandstand on plenty of gigs over the years. All of which serves to point out the virtues of familiarity in a creative music context. Madsen has a real knack for finding generative material for the trio setting. The set kicks off with Steve Swallow’s best-known composition, Eiderdown, first recorded in 1965 on Pete La Roca’s Basra album. From the start, it’s apparent that the trio has excellent cohesion and responsiveness. Following their lengthy and fruitful investigation of the Swallow piece, they continue with Omar Hakim’s Amethyst Secrets (from his 1989 Rhythm Deep album, and the biggest surprise on The Trio Book). The simple melody, played fairly slowly, provides the trio with an elegant vehicle that showcases the thoughtful side of Madsen’s saxophone playing. N.R.W. is the session’s sole original composition, in a similar vein to the Hakim tune. Hall’s brushwork on the first half of this one is simply beautiful, and so is the trio’s dynamic arc as the performance builds to a climax. Both Joe Chambers’ Mirrors and Freddie Hubbard’s D Minor Mint first appeared on Hubbard’s 1965 Breaking Point album. The Hubbard tune, a straight-ahead swinger, gets a spirited rendition, with energetic tenor, robust bass, and splashy drums. The trio’s exquisite dissection of Mirrors is another of the disc’s many highlights. In the most extroverted performance on the disc, the band tackles Wes Montgomery’s West Coast Blues in a take from an earlier recording session in 2018. A funky Hall is having a ball on this number. The album concludes with Granada, a tune by reedman Chris Cheek from 1999, and another carefully modulated excursion into empathetic trio dynamics. The more I listen to this music, the more I appreciate it and find new aspects to enjoy. This is a collection that rewards close listening. Highly recommended. 

JMarg; Chris Madsen (ts) Clark Sommers (b) Dana Hall (d); Chicago, IL, March 23, 2021, exc. *July 3, 2018; Eiderdown/ Amethyst Secrets/ N.R.W./ D Minor Mint/ Mirrors/ West Coast Blues*/ Granada; 46:46. www.chrismadsen.net

Joel Harrison & Anthony Pirog: The Great Mirage

  Lou Reed once wrote that “you can’t beat 2 guitars, bass, drum,” a sentiment that Joel Harrison & Anthony Pirog take to heart for The Great Mirage. Harrison and Pirog wield a variety of electric and acoustic guitars, plus the occasional electric piano, mellotron, synthesizers and more. The supple and ultra-dynamic rhythm team of Stephen Crump on electric bass and Allison Miller on drums and synth is supplemented on one track by Bruce Katz on Hammond organ. It all makes for a delicious stew of rock and jazz fusion, with instrumentation derived from the rock side of things, and the open-ended approach of dedicated improvisers. Except for Keith Jarrett’s Mortgage on My Soul, all the pieces are collaborations by the guitarists. The Jarrett piece, from his 1971 Atlantic album Birth, gets a surprisingly raging treatment, complete with a thumping big beat laid down by Miller, and genuine fuzz bass from Crump. Influenced by everything including the blues, surf music, hard rock, and much more, Harrison and Pirog seem to be having plenty of fun with this project. Highlights include the soothingly atmospheric Desert Solitaire, the slowly building turmoil of It Slipped Through My Fingers, the elegant I’ll See You in the Shining World, the psychedelic rave-up of East Hurley, and the fiery closer Buffalo Heart. The Great Mirage is a winner from start to finish. Happily recommended. 

AGS Recordings ABSR-004; Joel Harrison (electric & acoustic guitars, toy piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Tibetan bowls, mellotron) Anthony Pirog (electric & acoustic guitars, synthesizers) Stephan Crump (electric bass guitar) Allison Miller (drums, Moog synthesizer) Bruce Katz (Hammond B-3 org on *); Hurley, NY, May 21-23, 2022; The Great Mirage/ Critical Conversation/ There's Never Enough Time/ Mortgage on My Soul/ Desert Solitaire/ It Slipped Through My Fingers/ Last Rose of Summer/ I'll See You in the Shining World/ East Hurley/ Clarksdale*/ Buffalo Heart; 50:25. agsrecordings.bandcamp.com

Simon Moullier: Isla

  I very much enjoyed vibraphonist Simon Moullier’s 2020 trio album Countdown, and I’m equally delighted with Isla, his new quartet release. Moullier has expanded the group by bringing in pianist Lex Korten. Alexander Claffy is on bass, and drummer Jongkuk Kim is back from the trio date. From the first downbeat of Empress of the Sea, the mood of genial and tuneful swing is established. The title piece is up next, an uptempo romp that shows another side of the quartet. It’s followed by Moullier’s bossa treatment of the standard You Go to My Head, one of two pieces that join five of his well-crafted original compositions. The other is Mercer Ellington’s Moon Mist in a mellow arrangement. Listening closely to the quartet, you can frequently hear the vibist singing along with his beautifully flowing solos. His vocalizations naturally remind me of Keith Jarrett, and it strikes me that his bountiful musical imagination is akin to Jarrett’s conception of improvisation. Somehow, Moullier can get his vibes to sound like a marimba or an organ, but most often, he prefers a muted and clean sound without much vibrato. His spacious solo style work quite well paired with pianist Korten’s slightly denser approach. While Korten can get a little busy for my taste at times in his solos, his excursions are always logical and thoughtful as he maneuvers through the changes. Bassist Claffy’s solid sound and beautifully constructed lines, both as ensemble player and occasional soloist, are a pleasure throughout. His work meshes very well with Kim’s tasteful and dynamically nuanced drumming, and they make a great team. In fact, the teamwork of all the musicians is exemplary, with a cohesion that enlivens a ballad like Moon Mist and powers tunes like the lively Phoenix Eye. Isla is a real winner. I think of the Moullier group as the Post Modern Jazz Quartet: they’re that good. Absolutely worth seeking out. 

Self-produced; Simon Moullier (vib) Lex Korten (p) Alexander Claffy (b) Jongkuk Kim (d); NYC, July 2022; Isla/ You Got to My Head/ Enchantment/ Moon Mist/ This Dream/ Phoenix Eye/ Heart; 50:25. simonmoullier.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

The music that kept my spirits up in 2022

Albert Ayler proclaimed that Music is the healing force of the universe.

Some of the best medicine of 2022 came from these new releases: 

Patricia Brennan – More Touch (Pyroclastic)

Whit Dickey Quartet - Root Perspectives (TAO Forms)

Avram Fefer Quartet - Juba Lee (Clean Feed)

Tomas Fujiwara’s Triple Double - March (Firehouse 12)

Just Jones - Just Justice (ESP-Disk’)

Ivo Perelman/Matthew Shipp - Fruition (ESP-Disk’)

Enrico Rava and Fred Hersch - The Song is You (ECM)

Matthew Shipp Trio - World Construct (ESP-Disk’)

Wadada Leo Smith – Emerald Duets (TUM)

Tyshawn Sorey Trio - Mesmerism (Yeros7 Music)

Tyshawn Sorey Trio +1 - The Off-Off Broadway Guide to Synergism (Pi Recordings)

Dan Weiss Trio – Dedication (Cygnus)

Megumi Yonezawa - Resonance (Sunnyside)

It was also another banner year for archival and historical projects:

Albert Ayler - Revelations (Complete ORTF Fondation Maeght Recordings) 
(Elemental Music)

Joe Henderson - The Complete Joe Henderson Blue Note Studio Sessions - (Mosaic)

Freddie Hubbard - The Complete Blue Note & Impulse ‘60s Studio Sessions - (Mosaic)

Ahmad Jamal - Emerald City Nights: Live At The Penthouse 1963-1964 and 1965-1966  (Jazz Detective)

Elvin Jones - Revival : Live At Pookie’s Pub (Blue Note)

Charles Mingus - The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott's (Resonance)

Mal Waldron - Searching in Grenoble : The 1978 Solo Piano Concert (Tompkins Square)

And many thanks to the publicists and record labels who keep my in-box full. 

Above all, grateful thanks to all the musicians!!