Harri Sjöström and Guilherme Rodrigues - Treasures Within

On Sundays, we like to take the opportunity to share something aside from an album review, like interviews we've conducted or videos that we have found and enjoyed, and sometimes, something entirely different, like liner notes. The following notes, written by Paul  Acquaro, accompany the adventurous duo release Treasures Within by Harri Sjöström and Guilherme Rodrigues. 

This album is the second document of the duo following The Treasures Are. The Treasures Within is comprised of three encounters in the studio and live starting in 2019 at Munich's Artoxin Gallery followed by the Berlin locations Toolbox Gallery in 2021 and Berlin Room in 2022.   

By Paul Acquaro 

What makes musical chemistry? What is it that make some combinations simply work? While there are many examples like Paul and John, Bennink and Brotzmann, and Parker and Drake to draw on, it also seems that saxophonist Harri Sjöström and cellist Guilherme Rodrigues have some insights into this phenomenon as well.

Here, it begins with creaky bow strokes on the cello to which squeaky tones from a soprano saxophone are carefully inserted. It lasts only a minute before a reset, the next track and a new route chosen, but in those previous few seconds one could hear a lot about a musical relationship. There is no hesitancy, no time needed to discuss and calibrate, it is a meeting of mutually sympathetic musical minds. Rodrigues explains, "for me the way Harri approaches the saxophone gets pretty close, imagination wise, to my imaginarium. And because of that, we play well together intuitively."

The next track begins with a rather classical sounding approach and then quickly becomes an intertwining of melodic strands that are in some ways hard to differentiate, but thrive on an inherent contrast. Rodrigues continues, "both instruments have colors that naturally match and therefore, taken together, the result of our music becomes treasured!"

Indeed, by the time we are at track 3, which happens quickly with these miniatures, the melodic ideas have taken a different turn. Sjöström is bouncing around a delicate melodic idea while Rodrigues provides textural accents. Suddenly, we are at track 4 and now the cello is responsible for the melodic twists while the saxophone finds the perfect points to interject.

Sjöström also gives some hints as to why this pairing works so well, "I think we both share a strong melodic instinct, even within freely improvised music. There is a constant dialogue between us, and I always feel Guilherme is incredibly alert to every subtle change in the music."

So, what is it about these subtle changes that are so powerful? Well, for one, the conversation is always diverting course. Like on track 5, which suddenly turns inwards, darker hues and longer tones fill the space. Sjöström simply says, "we also enjoy strong contrasts and often abrupt changes and aren't afraid to move between intimacy and intensity." 

< Please go to Bandcamp to read the rest of the notes and listen to the music >