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.
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