It takes two to tango, and it takes two to make sparks fly on outside jazz that can also look in.
Tenor saxist Ivo Perelman teams up with pianist Karl Berger for six free form improvisations that mix highly lyrical themes with intuitive dexterity of thought. Perelman’s tenor doesn’t sit still; he goes low on subtones on a piece like “Contemplation” but is can also juggle with mouthpiece miracles that cause purrs, pops, whirls and gasps as accents on “Placidity” and “Transcendence.” Berger’s piano serves both as the trapeze net (in that there is somewhere to catch Perelman) and also part of the center ring, providing percussion as well as melody and direction on “Pensiveness.” The conversational interplay here rarely delves into, but occasionally hints at, the outer reaches of cacophony, and it is that tension of coming close to the cliff’s edge that makes this panoramic set so impressive.
On the other side of the spectrum, pianist Thollem McDonas and drummer Lukas Ligeti have no problem letting the free improvisation turn into a wild whirlwind. Material such as “Minds Fill In” and “Whjilsper Stream” sound like arm wrestling matches that lead into a percussive chaos, while long piano rubattos on “Connecting Thoughts” are contrasted with imaginative cymbal work. Highly string out tension on piano keys and strings draws to a hair raising climax on “ Advance in Standstill” whle the dramatic piano percussion that keeps rumbling against the thrashing drums on “The Gravity of Up” is reminiscent of a scene from a Dudley Dooright Saturday morning cartoon. Music for a muscular matchup!
Leo Records