By Don Phipps
Dissonance. Abstraction. Tonal clusters. Flurries. Rolling ostinatos. Ornate
and defiant piercings. These are some of the various musical elements of
Angel Falls, a striking masterpiece of space and sound generated by
two of the best – the legendary Mississippi-born Wadada Leo Smith on trumpet
(now 83) and the always fascinating Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier. The
duo draws on a range of influences and idioms to construct their tone poems.
From the formal classical side, one can hear degrees of impressionism,
Messiaen abstractions, and Charles Ives. Then there are bouncy, jagged blues
passages (the ending of “Naomi’s Peak”) and of course plenty of
improvisatory and experimental jazz.
From this diverse palette, Smith and Courvoisier deliver striking and
challenging explorations that boggle and intrigue. To illustrate, listen to
the album’s longest piece, “Angel Falls” and its shortest piece, “Sonic
Utterance.” On “Angel Falls,” Courvoisier creates a dissonant barely
audible opening by stroking the inside of the piano. The duo proceeds to
fashion a dark meditative impression that evolves into a rolling stormy
motif. Smith always finds just the right note to craft his reflective mood
while Courvoisier goes from pianissimo to forte on the keys in short order,
creating sparkling color and deep textures. Both explore the highest and
lowest notes on their respective instruments – creating a sense of awe,
yearning, and other moods and expressions. There is a point where
Courvoisier constructs a full-blooded harmonic maelstrom and Smith responds
with hard blowing high notes to produce dramatic effect. The soul-searching
continues, as Courvoisier’s passages build into a cliff like peak underneath
Smith’s sostenuto responses.
On “Sonic Utterance,” Courvoisier generates precise jarring attacks with
tonal clusters while Smith demonstrates his breathing technique, uttering
low volume blues phrases above Courvoisier’s back and forth splashes. The
music alternates between peaceful interludes and explosions until
Courvoisier develops a wandering, repeating motif underneath Smith’s muted
trumpet. A roller coaster ride ensues, and Courvoisier really brings it
towards the end – with fierce abstractions that seem to explode off the keys
like fireworks.
The high degree of formalism found on Angel Falls does not detract
from the spontaneity and openness found within the music. It enhances it,
giving the music the foundation necessary to develop and explore impulsively
and creatively. Art can be representative and exist beneath conscious
reality. And this album most certainly is a work of art. Enjoy!