The creative, spontaneous jazz of Ivo Perelman has long been a constant across almost all of his breathtaking output, as the master saxophonist is always tinkering with his formula in any way possible. Sometimes that involves changing musical partners and the album we’re discussing here is no exception. But Truth Seeker (Fundacja S?uchaj) is not just Perelman’s first trio with a Mark Helias (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums) rhythm section, it’s also one of the initial recordings Perelman has made with a new mouthpiece he acquired a few years ago.
It may not seem that significant to the listener but to a saxophonist, the mouthpiece is essential equipment because it directly impacts his tone and articulation. And every mouthpiece is unique. On this new one, Perelman explains, “It seems to force me in a Paul Desmond direction, more contained, more directed, focused — more concentrated musical thought, with less fat.”
Perelman and Helias go way, way back; the bassist appeared on Perelman’s Man of the Forest from thirty years prior. Perelman has not enjoyed that kind of history with Rainey but as the drummer long associated with Tim Berne, Rainey brings a wide and dynamic range and an infallible sense of intuition that’s perfectly suited for unpredictable saxophonists like Berne and Perelman alike.
Perelman’s tweak in his approach can clearly be sensed right off on “Devotion”: he comes close to devising conventional melodies and while he never crosses over that line, the shapes and pattern are delineated sharper than before. The song takes on an arc as many of Perelman’s inventions do, but he takes his take progressing through it, letting his notes hang in the ether (especially at the end, when Helias and Rainey step aside).
For “Intuition,” Perelman effervescently engages with the rhythm section, something that has never changed about him. Listen in the middle section how he converses with Rainey’s toms like as if they were inside each other’s heads. Perelman can just as effortlessly have a synergetic conversation with an arco bass, as evidenced by his exchanges with Helias for “Life’s Meaning,” a dialogue that continues unabated when the bassist puts away the bow.
Perelman paces himself for “Mystical Vibration,” letting the muse come to him and playing very lyrically and before the well runs dry, Rainey kicks it into a swing that spurs the other two to raise their game even further. The three manipulate rhythm and tempo together on “Spiritual Growth” in a way that can only be described as telepathic.
Helias gets spotlighted for much of “Truth Seeker,” culminating in a solo that underscores the notion that through group improvisation the trio is making meaningful melodies. Rainey’s subdued rumbling sets the tone for “Ubiquitous Light,” a song that later breaks out into a blues feeling while the blues itself is cannily hinted at.
In the liner notes, Neil Tesser observes that “each new recording by Perelman presents a search for artistic truths. Each does so in its own way.” Collaborating with Mark Helias and Tom Rainey while adapting to a new mouthpiece makes Truth Seeker a whole new, tantalizing quest for Ivo Perelman.
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