Extempore music king Ivo Perelman convenes another new gang of improvisation masters in a never-ending quest for making music inspired by the moment. A Modicum Of Blues (Fundacja Sluchaj) finds the tenor saxophonist creating in the company of quintet this time, a little bit larger ensemble than the duets, trios and quartets that Perelman typically leads.
The group this time are all musicians Perelman had recorded improvised pieces with before, only the structure is new. Nate Wooley (trumpet), Mark Helias (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums) have gotten with the saxophonist a lot in recent years, producing some amazing stuff. Matt Moran (vibraphone) is the wild card here, in my mind, as Perelman doesn’t often trade licks and create spontaneous motifs with a vibraphonist, but there’s some history with Moran.
We got treated to hearing Perelman and Moran together before in the 2023 duet Tuning Forks and also within the staggering sextet meeting Seven Skies Orchestra in the same year. Moran’s vibes offers softer tones to balance the sharp timbres often emanating from the Perelman/Wooley syndicate, bolstered by a natural composure in a free setting so evocative of Bobby Hutcherson in the 60s.
The first performance begins as a collection of individuals slowly coalescing into a unit as they probe each other’s reactions to quips. Wooley is the first to suggest a strain and others add other parts to it. After a tentative moment or two, the quintet is off to the races, led by Wooley and Perelman. Their history of improvising together bears out in how well they weave lines around each other and the intuitive give-and-take between them.
On the second part, Rainey’s does brisk work on the rims, keeping the pulse lively but light while Helias provides accurate harmonic underpinning to Wooley and Perelman’s wistful meanderings. The third part quickly reaches a dramatic passage where Wooley and Perelman sounding incredibly alike double up on their notes. After that, Rainey joins in with an off-kilter beat and a 3-way improvisation between Perelman, Moran and Helias ensues.
Beginning with Helias’ moving bass feature, “Part 4” is where the largest modicum of blues is found among this set of songs. Both horn players utterly capture that blues feeling and it spills over to the rest of the group.
For the final improvised piece, Helias and Perelman engage in a locked-in sax/bass conversation and Moran soon afterwards introduces the chords that will frame the rest of the instant composition. The wind players sit back a while as the vibes player generates some sweet tension with a big assist from the bottom by Helias.
A jazz quintet consisting of sax, trumpet, bass drums and a chordal instrument can usually sound routine but there’s nothing at all ordinary at all about this quintet. Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Matt Moran, Mark Helias and Tom Rainey let their extraordinary instincts take completely over for A Modicum of Blues.
Acquire A Modicum of Blues now at Bandcamp.
*** Ivo Perelman CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
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- Triple Blind – ‘Cold Walk’ (2026) - February 27, 2026
