Sometimes a good movie begets a sequel and like a good movie, saxophonist Ivo Perelman and trumpeter Nate Wooley starred in their first go around together as a duo. Perhaps that’s why two years after Polarity they return with the sequel, Polarity 2 (Burning Ambulance Music).
The most immediately remarkable thing about Polarity is how more than any other Perelman partner, Wooley is wired a lot like the Brazilian tenor master. He has that same facility for taking the slightest slivers of inspiration and constructing entire melodies from that, before moving on to another elaborate, instant construction. What’s more, he’s able to do this in concert with his musical partner, also setting out to do the same thing.
From the opening moments of “One,” the oneness of purpose becomes instantly clear. They bring an idea together to its logical end and then commence on an entirely new one, building a fully developed two-part suite from scratch in the span of three and a half minutes.
When Wooley puts on a trumpet mute for “Two” and puts on a brash showing, Perelman matches his attitude, able to bend his saxophone to take on such a persona. When Wooley removes the mute within a single blast, the two pick up and go in another direction, exchanging cues, taking risks and landing on their feet each time.
Solemnity pervades over “Three” for a while but the conversation gets increasingly animated and amazingly, the faster the tempo, the more they play in lockstep with each other.
Dispensing with convention for “Four” (video above), Perelman doesn’t even blow into his horn to make sounds initially, instead jousting with Wooley’s trumpet using his voice.
They change tactics from track to track (and even within tracks) to keep it fresh and interesting. For “Six,” the simpatico comes from blending extended notes instead of chasing each other notes. “Seven” initially makes use of the spaces between the notes, and ends with Wooley finding a two-note pattern and coaxing Perelman to play over it.
The best improvisers play their best when challenged the most. Ivo Perelman and Nate Wooley once again push each other to peak performances, and since their peaks are high, so is the level of improvisation.
Polarity 2 is now available for purchase over at Bandcamp.
- McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson – ‘Forces of Nature: Live at Slugs’ (2024) - November 21, 2024
- Lydia Salnikova, “Christmas Means a Different Thing This Year” (2024): One Track Mind - November 19, 2024
- Darius Jones – ‘Legend of e’Boi (The Hypervigilant Eye)’ - November 15, 2024
