Given the steady new additions to a prodigious volume of work by Ivo Perelman, it might seem hard to maintain a level of enthusiasm for each fresh release, even if the quality is maintained. But inventing something new each time out is exactly what the saxophonist’s music all about. Often, he’s able to pull rabbits out of his hat by introducing a new instrument and/or a new collaborator. Shamanism, though, is neither of those things. It doesn’t matter.
For this set, Perelman turns to two old favorites. Without needing to check, I can confidently state that pianist Matthew Shipp is Perelman’s most frequent collaborator. Perelman has had several encounters with guitarist Joe Morris, not as much as Shipp but probably more than any other guitarist. Part of the reason is that Perelman has also utilized Morris as a bassist, both acoustic and electric.
We’ve looked at Perelman record with both Shipp and Morris before with The Hour of the Star (2011) but Morris was on standup bass. Shamanism might be the first time all three are captured together with Morris on electric guitar. Sax/piano/guitar isn’t the most exotic of combinations but with this three players? Sign me up.
It’s one thing to hear two them — Perelman and Shipp – display an uncommon spiritual connection as they’ve done so many times, but Morris has that same level of intuition on guitar. It’s not merely playing together, they play at each other, each almost instigating the other two to respond to him. They all create in the spur of the moment with musicality and originality.
“Prophets and Healers” is a rare intro on a Perelman album, Shipp thoughtfully making fully chorded remarks (“Supernatural Faith” and “Altered States of Consciousness” are other graceful solo Shipp meditations). That makes the dispersed delirium of “Shamanism” more jolting than it otherwise might be simply from the contrast. But once it’s absorbed, you marvel at the sheer simpatico and how the three modulate together.
“Spirit World” has fragile beauty to it that would be impossible for most musicians to assimilate instantaneously. “Trance” is mostly a rapid romp bristling with curves, ascents and descents all done as if of one mind. “Spiritual Energies” escalates to an astonishing peak where Perelman, Shipp and Morris are scurrying together to scale the top and then descend nimbly in concert.
Morris is the one who gets to set the pace for “One Who Knows” and in this elevated role shows more clearly how he subtly alters the Perelman/Shipp dynamic to account for his voice that’s every bit as original as the other two. Perelman is content to let “Religious Ecstasy” go on for a couple of minutes as a Shipp/Morris one-on-one before jumping in and why not? The pianist and guitarist are melding their instruments together so completely.
Where Ivo Perelman is involved, there is always a surprise contained in every moment. Add two like-minded musicians like Matthew Shipp and Joe Morris playing dissimilar instruments, and the level of surprise and thrill are tripled.
Shamanism can be had here from Bandcamp.
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