Here we go again, another fearless leap into the harmonic abyss by two of the world’s premier improvisors.
Fruition (October 28, 2022, ESP-Disk) marks the 18th one-on-one meeting between Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp, a duo who seemingly can’t quit each other because the well of inspiration has not yet found its bottom. As usual, the two invent melodies as they go along, never predictable but also never lacking in form or purpose.
The sax lead-off on “Nine” is a reminder that Perelman is as close stylistically to the tenor greats of the 40s and 50s as he is conceptually far from them. That simmering soul emanating from the bell of his horn goes down every path except the one most taken and Shipp’s complementing piano elucidates that Shipp always seem to understand where is partner is headed.
“Thirteen” flows out like a faucet, where every motif they devise together serves as a windup for their next musical thought. The solemness of “One” doesn’t hide the urgency, Perelman making every note meaningful and Shipp accompanies with flawless anticipation. The congruence between the two is insane; the tempo keeps changing on “Seven” but it’s done in lockstep together.
Shipp’s economy on “Fourteen” provides just enough cues which with Ivo Perelman is able to mold a fully-realized harmonic development. But Matthew Shipp is always changing his tactics. For “Two,” he streams out descending and descending chords while his partner responds with harrowing moans and sometimes wails.
Like the painter that he is, Perelman paints tonal brushstrokes on “Three” that somehow coalesce into identifiable shapes, one after another, with the help of guideposts discreetly left behind by Shipp.
The melodic development on “Four” is so instinctual yet so logical, like it always existed and the two just plucked it out of the air. The staccato-driven “Ten” has a certain, child-like quality to it that’s endearing. To conclude, “Eleven” has Perelman’s signature humanity-in-a-horn sax articulation while exploiting the micro-tonality properties of his instrument.
Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp both thrive on finding different partners with which to exchange fresh ideas and new concepts from album to album. But they always return to this special duo, and they keep on amazing us with Fruition.
Get Fruition from Bandcamp.
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