Saxophonist Ivo Perelman continues his attempt to be the world’s most prolific free improviser with three new albums that continue established series, both putting the free jazz master in pairs with like-minded colleagues.
First up are the next two editions of his ongoing Duologues project. On Duologues 2: Joy , adventurous violinist Gabby Fluke-Mogul joins Perelman for a set of unhindered improv that frolics in sunny fields, rather than stormy skies. Though it’s aggressive cacophony that grabs the headlines (when it does at all), there’s also a playful side to free jazz, the sound of musical companions indulging their whimsy with grins and crinkled eyes. That’s the case for the nine cuts (all designated with numbers, as usual) here. Joy, indeed. For Duologes 3: Crystal Clear, Perelman teams up with fellow saxist Ingrid Laubrock, a powerhouse improviser in her own right. She easily keeps up with Perelman’s boundless imagination, making the duo’s improvisations as much an exercise in harmonizing lines as in free playing. There’s more incidental structure here than in many avant-gardists’ scored work.
For Polarity 3, the third album in a series with trumpeter. Nate Wooley, Perelman plays in a way not a million miles from his work with Laubrock. The pair have similar mindsets, making their harmonies again sound almost composed, rather than spontaneous. A tune like “Four” sounds like two pals wandering down the same path, each veering off the edge to check out the foliage, but always coming back together. Sometimes it’s only the different tones of their instruments that keep the tracks from sounding like one person overdubbing himself. Two master improvisers, one brainstem. Bring on #4!
