The album’s name is Improvisations and it contains improvised pieces; that much is apparent. What may not be so obvious is that one of the participants of this exercise in improvisation is not an improvisational artist himself. And that’s where the plot thickens…
Michael Bisio has enjoyed a lot of time in this space precisely because the bassist is an improviser of the highest order. Whether it’s collaborations with Matthew Shipp, Ivo Perelman, Kirk Knuffke or his own led dates, there have been plenty of occasions to examine what he brings to any session. Allen Shawn comes from another musical world, the classical one. He composes music for classical orchestras, as well as chamber piano music since 1977; he’s penned concertos, operas, sonatas and a whole symphony.
But Bisio saw his potential in a realm outside of his comfort zone and after some coaxing, Shawn decided to take that walk on the wild side. It’s not as if Shawn isn’t familiar with making music on the fly; it’s part of his composing process and he’s got some first-hand familiarity with Ellington, Mingus and Monk. But Bisio saw an opportunity out of a talented pianist without the built-in jazz instincts that might funnel any development into certain, predictable patterns.
What came of these two sessions doesn’t really reside within the jazz world or any of world, and that’s great. You hear Shawn creating these melodies very tunefully unattached from any era or style during “Improvisations-1” as Bisio keeps a fire lit underneath. Shawn doesn’t play any bop-derived lined, uses a lot of chords, and lets it flow like water, allowing plenty of room for Bisio to breathe as well. But the end of the piece, Shawn has loosened up to the point of playing an on-the-spot show tune.
The basic theme for “Improvisations-2” was actually conceived in Shawn’s head in the studio parking lot just before the sessions began. It’s a song that certainly sounds like a lot of forethought went into it, not a little, and Bisio’s bass tones lends extra poignancy to it.
Bisio sets the table this time for “Improvisations-3,” and Shawn responds by making himself an extension of Bisio’s patterns to weave it into a motif of his own. After a brief pause, Shawn breaks out into some vaudeville. “Improvisations-4” is fronted by another lengthy intro but this time Shelly comes more than halfway to Bisio’s free-jazz side.
The pair go to the other end of melodicism with “Improvisations-5,” where a ravishing ballad organically unfolds. Bisio’s bass walk on “Improvisations-6” is met with catlike moves from Shawn and “Improvisations-7” is quiet but engaged conversation.
Michael Bisio has such a keen sense of intuition that he can improvise with anyone, anytime. Seeking out a new challenge with an unlikely partner in Allen Shawn makes Improvisations an uncommonly special collaboration.
Improvisations will be available October 16, 2020 and you can get it from Bandcamp.
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