The partnership between saxophonist Tim Berne and guitarist Gregg Belisle-Chi is one that’s blossomed suddenly and with today’s release of their second duet album ZONE 1, we find that they are still finding the ceiling with what these two can bring together toward Berne’s compositions. Recorded live this past September at Brooklyn’s Coffey Street Studio, engineer Joseph Branciforte recorded these two playing without a net, letting instinct and gumption rule.
The immediately distinguishing mark of ZONE 1 is that this time Belisle-Chi opts for an electric guitar instead of an acoustic one. Berne has had plenty of electric guitar partners before, with Bill Frisell, David Torn and, most prolifically, Marc Ducret. But none of these collaborations, as successful as they’ve been, involved a guitarist as fully committed to giving himself over for Berne’s multi-layered musical vision.
Belisle-Chi is clearly altering his approach to Berne’s pieces in switching to an electric instrument. On “Pokey,” Belisle-Chi is able to make his guitar’s caustic tone somehow dovetail with Berne’s alto saxophone. With no rhythm section, the pair are able to pursue Berne’s unbound melody free of any friction. For “Clandestine,” Belisle-Chi opts to provide overdriven backdrops to Berne’s saxophone discourse, revealing more of the composition’s mysteries in doing so. “Guitar Star” is all guitar for the first ninety-seconds, then both, then all sax. When Belisle-Chi re-enters, his mastery of textural brush strokes approaches that of another one of Berne’s guitar partners, David Torn.
The most attractive feature of this collaboration remains the acute awareness between the two, however. Berne and Belisle-Chi run through the pattern gauntlet of “Sludge” in perfect unison together then take turns offering their own personal variations on it before converging at the conclusion. “Bat Channel” moves at an organic pace; with Berne songs, it’s not just knowing where the notes go but how fast or slow to get where they’re headed and Belisle-Chi has a good feel for that. On “Yikes,” the two harmonize closely together through serpentine patterns, the sort of symmetry that goes beyond knowing the music, it also relies on knowing the other’s mind.
With their first record together Mars out only earlier in the year, Tim Berne’s and Gregg Belisle-Chi’s ZONE 1 completes a one-two punch of sax/guitar performances distinct from each other but both being performances at the highest level.
ZONE 1 is out now and can be had at Screwgun Records.
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