What actually IS “Avant Garde”? What is “Free Jazz?” Are there variations of them? Styles of them? Is there a “Neo Avant Garde” as opposed to “Classic Avant Garde”? When does advanced hard bop transition into free? Here are a couple of tenor sax players, Ivo Perelman and Rich Halley, who go to the outer fringes of mainstream jazz, pulling and tugging at it like a giant piece of Turkish Taffy. How does it taste afterwards?
The first disc has Perelman teaming up with pianist Matthew Shipp for a Baker’s Dozen duets, ranging from under 2 minutes to a tad over 5. Some have hints of bop and blues, such as “01” and some have a dark/sinister groove to them, as in “08”. Much of the time is spent with scurrying piano runs an brooding tenor sax sighs and moans such as on “”09” and “07” with some cascading scales by the tenorist on “03”. Was this music or a run through of chops?
Serenditity has the team of Perelman and Shipp joined by William Parker/b and Gerald Cleaver/dr for a 48 minute plus single tune that has Perelman blowing long and hard with moments of four cornered anarchy which segues into and out of some exciting and exploratory piano trio musings that include fragrant cymbal conversations. Perelman comes in and out of the scene like an actor in a play, sometimes going staccato, other times yelping like a wounded mule, while Parker and Cleaver create tumultuous waves that range from white caps to ultimately low tides. Quite a trip that will tax your attention span. Could be fantastic in concert, however.
The Edge has Perelman and Shipp with a bit of a different team of Michael Bisio/b and Whitt Dickey with nine songs that have s similar environment as the one long tune, but with the breakup of the material into more digestible morsels, the music gets a bit more palatable. “Clarinbasen” and “Fatal Thorns” actually have themes and a hint of forms, while the aggressive and dark rhythms of “Lancaster” and “Volcanic” make you wonder how many listening you will take of this.
Rich Halley has a left of center heart as well, but his tenor has a much thicker, richer and textured tone. Also, his material, while still on the adventurous side, has definite and inviting melodies, traceable rhythm patterns and logical sequences. The team of Halley with Michael Vlatkovich/tb, Clyde Reed and Carson Halley/dr works cohesively on the fiendishly tricky compositions like “The Only Constant” and “Basin and Range.” The theme of the material is based on Halley’s backpacking trip through the Oregon Rockies, and the songs can sometimes be hard climbs in themselves, but the overall vista at the very end can be worth it, though you may have to catch your breath from the altitude afterwards!
Leo Records
Pine Eagle Records
www.richhalley.com