As the world’s foremost pure improviser on saxophone, Ivo Perelman seems to have a goal to make music extemporaneously with his entire peer class of nearly every imaginable instrument and with nearly every imaginable small group configuration. Earlier in 2023, he checked another box with the release of Molten Gold (Mahakala Music), assembling a star-studded quartet in a setting that pushes these players to be at their very best.
Perelman is up to his usual bag of tricks, making up melodies on the run in concert with his partners for the task at hand. Joe Morris is a partner he’s quite familiar with, and for this occasion the master guitarist/double bassist is taking on the latter role. Reggie Nicholson had been a favorite drummer for Henry Threadgill, Myra Melford and Muhal Richard Abrams but has recorded sparsely in recent years, so his presence here is a treat. Perelman’s horn foil this time is a trombonist, the eminent Ray Anderson.
Perelman has participated in quartets before, and we’ve covered him in an ensemble that size a time or two, but it’s been a while since we encountered one with percussion, going back to 2019. The reason why size makes a difference is that each member is someone Perelman engages with directly; his personal, integrated approach to improvisation demands it. That’s why it’s a marvel to hear him accomplish this with three musicians at once.
“Warming Up” introduces us to Perelman jousting with the trombonist, and as further testament to his limitless pliability, the saxophonist adapts completely to Anderson, sounding very much like himself nonetheless. Anderson’s ‘bone has plenty of melodicism, and Perelman rolls right along with it while subtly pushing him outside. Nicholson and Morris put a pulse underneath, staying mostly in the background but if you listen closely enough, they are very much connected to what the front line is doing. When the horn players are unaccompanied, Perelman takes command, as Anderson returns the favor and gives himself up to follow Perelman’s muse.
Mixing up the rules of engagement, Anderson chops it up with Morris to kick off “Liquid” followed by a Perelman/Nicholson pairing, then Anderson/Nicholson. Finally, everyone is playing at once, joining together in group improvisation where the building blocks were already worked out with the rotating pairs. But they don’t stop making things interesting: a lilting waltz breaks out of nowhere.
Morris’ bowed bass initially casts a pall over “Aqua Regia” but led by Nicholson’s restless brush work, the song picks up steam and the four collectively work it up to frenzy. The 28-minute journey takes many other stops along the way, with Perelman and Anderson reinventing themselves for each episode.
Perelman tests the upper limits of his saxophone while Anderson tests the lower limits of his trombone for the early part of “Gravity,” forging a sharp contrast in timbres before meeting in the middle. But as before, the four-way conversation pushes the song forward because everyone is so attuned to each other and placing the importance of when not to play on equal footing with the importance of when it is indeed time to play. For the second half of the performance, the front line players work in tandem instead of together, showcasing their respective individual abilities.
Molten Gold is available at all the usual outlets. Get your copy from Bandcamp.
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