Back toward the end of 2022, tenor saxophone titan Ivo Perelman ducked into a Brooklyn studio to go toe-to-toe with a titan of another instrument to make music existing only in that moment. This scenario is nothing new for the Brazilian native, whose made a career doing this with pretty much every elite improviser in NYC.
This time, however, his sparring partner was a trombonist, and probably the best possible one. Ray Anderson has made a career bringing wit, funk and innovation to trombone jazz, and this former Anthony Braxton acolyte made his own career picking up where Roswell Rudd left off. His extended, advanced trombone techniques equips him with the tools to not only hang with the surprising and unrelenting Perelman, he can push this world-class saxman to his limits, too.
That’s why this memento of their union, 12 Stages of Spiritual Alchemy is not a Perelman duet to be skipped over. Across twelve impromptu compositions they find instant compatibility, firmly ensconced inside each other’s heads.
This two-way intuition is the engine that drives this record. There’s little separation in “Separation” as the two combatants instantly respond to each other’s moves as if they are anticipating them. Perelman always adapts his approach to match and complement his duo partner and here he’s inspired by Anderson to play with spunk and puckishness.
Songs are defined by the emotion they portray. “Calcination” takes on a sorrowful, sobbing disposition, made more convincing by Anderson ably manipulating the plunger on his trombone. “Putrefaction” is a nervous burst of sub-minute energy, and “Conjunction” is somber and measured.
“Dissolution” is more a musical conversation than a song with hints of melody sprinkled throughout, and they seem to practically stumble into a song together during “Coagulation.” Anderson and Perelman cajole each other into a witty, playful romp through “Sublimation” and they chirpily march across “Exaltation” with sharply clipped notes. Here and elsewhere, the fun always lies in the journey.
Perelman keeps coming up with melodic fragments one after another for “Fermentation” and Anderson keeps coming up with the harmonic complements to them. On “Cibation,” they seem to cook up these melodic ideas together.
12 Stages of Spiritual Alchemy is on sale now, and can be easily obtained from Bandcamp.
*** Ivo Perelman CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
*** Ray Anderson CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
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