Freely improvised jazz requires deep connection, deep listening, and deep commitment. The musicians involved need a rapport – the kind they might share with few others. They need to be able to truly hear each other, understand immediately, and respond appropriately. Finally, they need to put aside ego and follow the music wherever she leads – commit to the bit, as it were. For Memory is Subjective, saxophonist Nathan Hanson and drummer Steve Hirsh check all three boxes. The pair proves it in “I,” rolling through spontaneous composition that flirts with chaos, but never succumbs. With Hanson soaring above Hirsh’s busy traps, the performance sounds as if it’s all going to plan – even though there was no plan. “II” pulls back on the energy, at least at first, with the duo poking and prodding at the corners of this tune they’ve willed into existence, maintaining a sense of play even as the intensity increases. For the third and final part, the intensity stays high while the arrangement loosens up, calling on the spirits of the previous tracks to get the point across. Despite making it all up as they went along, Hanson and Hirsh keep the music flowing like two streams meeting as one river.
