In an unusual (but not unheard of) glitch in our review system, there are three reviews of 'Angel Falls' to share with our readers. It would seem as if an opinion on a top album is already forming... time will tell. Regardless, enjoy!
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!
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