Ivo Perelman: Leo Records Backcatalog Reissue

By Paul Acquaro 

 

With the reissue of Leo Records catalog digitally by Burning Ambulance, a total of of 68 albums that saxophonist Ivo Perelman released with the label will eventually be made available. To explore the bounty, or at least to get a taste, I asked the saxophonist to do the dubious task of picking out five recordings that he felt stood out in some way and to talk about his picks and what they mean to him. 

1. Sad Life (1997) 

 

Paul Acquaro: The first one is Sad Life from 1997 with drummer Rashid Ali & bassist William Parker. What struck me immediately is that this is the rhythm section from the FMP release Touchin' on Trane from 1993 with Charles Gayle. How did this recording come to be and what does it mean to you now?

 

Ivo Perelman: I used to see Rashied at Bradleys (an East Village piano bar in the 90s) but never dared talking to him as I was so in awe of his playing. One day, I bumped into him on 14th street and started to talk and couldn't help but ask if he would do a trio CD with me and William, with whom I had been playing for a while. He promptly agreed.

 

The studio session was transcendental! I traveled back in time when Coltrane was alive and felt that creative powerful energy that fueled many of his sessions with Rashied.

 

 

 

2.  Seeds, Vision and Counterpoint (1998)

PA: Next, we have Seeds, Vision and Counterpoint from 1998 with Dominic Duval on bass and Jay Rosen on drums. I suppose one thing that sticks out to me is that Duval and Rosen are a tight duo and with say Joe McPhee perform as Trio X among other configurations. On listening, I noticed that your tone is a little different here, a bit sharper and concise than on Sad Life, am I just making this up? Anyway, how did you get involved with this duo and what sticks out to you about the album?

 

IP: Seeds Vision and Counterpoint took place at a tiny rehearsal/recording studio in Long Island and the idea was to just get together with Duval and Rosen and play some since we had never played before. They had spoken to me a few days before the session and we decided to do it in Long Island near Duval s home.

 

This session was explosive from the get go and it started a long series of concerts and CDs. We had an instant, natural exchange and non-stop flow of ideas (the sharp tone of the sax was duo to a series of sound studies I was interested at the time). 

 

3. The Edge (2013) 

PA: Third, we have The Edge from 2013 with pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Whit Dickey. This is like the crème de la crème of the New York creative music scene. I couldn't help notice the explosiveness of the opening track 'Clarinblasen.' What was it like playing with these three and why did you choose this album for the short list?

IP: I chose The Edge with Bisio, Dickey and Matthew Shipp to be in this short list because it started a series of albums investigating Matthew Shipp in quartet situations. Whenever Matthew Shipp is in a quartet classical quartet with sax, piano, drums and bass, he turns it into a Matthew Shipp Quartet experience, and it's a beautiful thing. He plays slightly differently depending on the members of the quartet. That one in particular is the classic Matthew Shipp Quartet, I would say, and we did a second one because I felt that was very fertile terrain for further investigation and it was me testing my powers, I would say against, like you say, a classic creme de la cremecreative group of musicians in New York.

So, keeping up with the concept of Matthew Shipp and a jazz quartet, I changed one at a time. Instead of Michael Bisio, I had another bass player, and then instead of Whit Dickey, I had Gerald Cleaver and I kept moving around, but what triggered that investigative period was that first album, The Edge. 

 

4. Reverie (2014)

PA: Now, we're looking at the expressive Reverie from 2014 with vibraphonist and pianist Karl Berger (who works only the piano on this album). You have at least one other recording with Berger, The Hitchhiker. Berger was a very influential figure in the improvisational music world, including with his organization Creative Music Studio which continues today under the direction of Billy Martin. What was it like working with Berger and what about this recording helped make this wonderfully subjective list?

IP: The duo with Karl Berger on piano disarmed, me, disarmed. I was ready for more notes, more harmonies, density, but his playing was so light and lyrical and beautiful that I dropped my guns and just gave myself to the music and surrendered to the simplicity, the lyrical beauty of his notes and phrasing. It led me, like never before, to a kind of a lyrical pursuit in that gorgeous doesn't mean corny or commercial. Gorgeous is just gorgeous. The melodies floated around like snowflakes on a beautiful, sunny winter afternoon. He was truly remarkable musician, very generous, very open minded. We just shook hands, said nice to meet you, and started playing. And there were some pieces, some of them were in C-minor that I still remember the feeling of and how they affected me. That particular session changed, changed my playing forever.

Whenever I feel a Karl Berger moment with whomever else I'm playing, I let it flow. I let it take possession of my playing, and I honor and cherish it. He taught me that, he was a great master and a great teacher even when he was only playing. 

 

5. Callas (2015)

PA: The album Callas from 2015 with Shipp is one of the many duo recordings you have made together. Our former contributor Colin Green wrote about this album when it came out, writing "There’s no doubt that on this album Maria Callas has inspired a heightened sensitivity to things that are often overlooked, providing a springboard for some truly remarkable playing. It’s a masterclass in the control of dynamics and subtle shading." Can you tell us about the importance of Maria Callas to your playing and what this album means to you?

IP: Callas played a very important role in my development as a musician because at the time I was suffering from uh throat problems, I was over practicing the altissimo register and doing it wrong.

I had the sessions with the therapist who suggested I start to study vocals and opera singing with someone specialized in opera singers who had the same problem. I did get rid of the problem, and I also learned a lot about music. I started to play Callas’ music and got into some various arias, and it added a lot of subtlety to my playing. So, I phoned my partner Matthew Shipp, who is always the best counterpart to share my discoveries with, because Matthew is so open to anything. He's such a wonderful wide-ranging musician, and his music covers the whole gamut from Maria Callas to Charlie Parker to everything in between.

So, this was the beginning of a very important segment of my career. Callas is remarkable because I was listening to her day in day out and even though I didn't exactly play the arias or the melodies, one is reminded of her pieces in someway. Somehow, I played like she sang. It is a truly remarkable album. 

 

 

While it is nice to have this chance to look back, Perelman is an artist always moving forward. Tomorrow, Sammy Stein will review his next release, Armegeddon Flower with the Matthew Shipp String Trio.