Multi-reedist Sabir Mateen has been around so much greatness such as Cecil Taylor, Sunny Murray, William Parker, Steve Swell, Matthew Shipp, Henry Grimes and Hamid Drake, because he’s pretty great himself. An improviser with depth and passion, the Philadelphia-born Mateen resides in Bologna, Italy these days. Recently, he laid down some tracks with Texas clarinetist Patrick Holmes and drumming ace Federico Ughi in nearby Tuscany. Those sessions produced spontaneous ideas that were later molded in the end product named Survival Situation.
Across five tracks of varying length is a showcase not just for the finesse of all three but also the ingenuity and diverse talents of Mateen. His Farfisa Matador organ accompanying clarinet and drums on “Freedom of Souls” throw off an odd, retro-future vibe, which squares up well with Mateen’s Sun Ra experience — he was in the Arkestra in the 80s/early 90s — and Holmes finds a connection with him. Mateen isn’t just making sounds with that organ, he’s using his mouth, too, mixing non-words and spoken word exhortations “marching, marching on the road to freedom.” The poetry part serves as a bridge to another passage of the song, underpinned by Ughi’s slow, crisp groove, and thrust even deeper into a cosmic realm than before.
Mateen mans a sax to entwine with Holmes on “Souls” as Ughi finds complementary timbres on his drum kit. Holmes recedes and it becomes a tête-à-tête between the other two, a captivating one at that, before it abruptly ends. Next, Mateen uses a flute to engage with Holmes on “Layers of Sound” and he threw in some faint psychedelic buzzes from that Matador just to give it a menacing edge.
“Clarifying” opens with the impish saxophone of Mateen, a contrast to the near-dirge that follows from the other two. Mateen swaps his reed for a flute as the song picks up momentum and later comes back to the sax when the nature of the performance shifts again. It’s this flexibility and a great sense of where a song is headed that gives Mateen the aptitude to keep a jam going with intent.
“You Can’t Touch That Because It Didn’t Hurt” is just a straight up sax/clarinet/drums improv conference that leans heavy on instinct and empathy, things that come in ample supply with these ace musicians. Holmes takes it slow and soulful while Mateen races past him with a more urgent message.
Survival Situation is now out, courtesy of 577 Records. Pick up a download or a sweet, neon green vinyl from Bandcamp, won’t ya?
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