By Sammy Stein
An unusual pairing – that of sax and trombone makes for a worthy listen on
this impressive recording. Saxophone player Ivo Perelman and trombone player
Ray Anderson create some wonderful sounds, exploring the mystical depths of
musical interaction.
The recording was made in 2022 by longtime Perelman engineer Jim Clouse at
Park West Studios (Brooklyn). Fundacja Słuchaj’s edition frames twelve
concise movements named for stages of alchemy (Separation, Calcination,
Coagulation, etc.), resulting in 56 minutes of magical chemistry. Perelman
has a long relationship with Park West/Clouse. Perelman and Anderson
recorded together on the 2-CD quartet set ‘Molten Gold’ with Joe Morris and
Reggie Nicholson, released by Fundacja Słuchaj in 2023, although this is the
first duo recording by the pair.
From the opening announcement of the trombone, this album is a musical
delight, and the connection between the musicians is palpable. Across the
twelve tracks here, the explorative nature of Perelman is tempered somewhat
at times and matched by the astounding agility of Anderson on trombone.
‘Separation’, the opening track, sees the heavy, brassy nature of the
trombone outshout the grainy, lower register of Perelman’s tenor at times,
then pull back, leaving the sax to sing. The track develops as an intimate
conversation, from opposing phrases to the final minute where the duo
extends their phrasing and forms a beautiful, harmonic close.
‘Calcination’ is edgy, sharp, and prosaic in its essence, as the trombone
skilfully weaves around the sax’s melodic phrasing. The character of both
players emerges in the playful nature of the final section, where Perelman
casually drops a line from a nursery rhyme into the continuing improvisation
of the trombone.
‘Putrefaction’ is short, harmonious in parts, and very intense, while
‘Dissolution’ is laid back, swingy in places, and a dextrous exhibition of
register-switching combines with acrobatic rises and falls from both
players.
‘Coagulation’ sees both instruments creating short phrases which are
swapped, extended, and moulded, the passages woven around each other and
rhythmic changes that happen simultaneously yet spontaneously with that
slight pause from one player, then the other, as they first lead, then
follow – pure improvisational cooperation.
‘Conjunction’ begins with a funereal opening, reminiscent perhaps of a New
Orleans death march, before the mood lightens and evolves into a triumphal
procession of sound with a flourish to finish.
‘Sublimation’ is warpy, guttural, and both players work to create something
sounding like a nest of hornets, so intense is the sound, while ‘Exaltation’
sees the growling, guttural sounds of the trombone pitted against Perelman’s
cheekiness with his sax, swinging between lyrical melodies. As the track
develops, a playfulness enters the music and staccato notes are exchanged,
and a sharp, crackling melody develops between the instruments.
‘Projection’ is just over nine minutes of profound exploration with both
musicians finding the extremes of their instruments’ range as well as
introducing a variety of different musical phrasing and technique, while
‘Multiplication’ is a short romp across octaves and registers.
‘Fermentation’ is buzzy, fever-pitched in places and features blasts from
the trombone, rivulets of sound from the sax, and some beautifully tempered
harmonics before ‘Cibation’, the closing track, which sees both musicians
finding melodies of their own, weaving towards and away from each other in
glorious disharmony, yet using notation closely related so it makes sense.
This is a wonderful recording and sees Anderson’s exuberance infecting the
music throughout. Paired with Perelman’s ability to switch mood, tempo, and
his unerring musicality, the music is at times intense and always accessible
for listeners preferring improvisation or harmony. The pairing of trombone
and tenor sax creates a wealth of sound possibilities, none of which pass
either musician by. The result is free improvisation that fuses the timbre
of both instruments and creates character and a simple, but profound beauty.
For an experimental album, with all processes explored and gone through, the
result is a discovery of new sounds and a well-tempered album.