The vanguard jazz London-based record company Leo Records has been around since 1979 with a large, impressive catalog that offers titles by such avant-garde giants like Evan Parker, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, the Ganelin Trio and Ivo Perelman. But the vaunted label had fallen behind in getting its releases out in the more widely-accessible digital format and with a helping hand from fellow progressive jazz label Burning Ambulance Music, they are rectifying that.
Beginning toward the end of 2024, Leo Feigin’s creation has started re-releasing catalog entries on Bandcamp at a clip of about twenty per month. Most of the Leo catalog will wind up on Bandcamp before it’s all said and done, including a whopping sixty-eight Ivo Perelman titles. The first twenty of Perelman’s records bowed on the artist-centric music distribution site in early April, 2025.
That’s a fine occasion to examine Perelman’s early work, since he started recording music for that imprint since the mid-1990s. For Sad Life — one of his very first Leo’s — the saxophonist from Brazil who was still new to the New York scene at the time took on one hell of a assignment: leading a trio with bassist William Parker, one of the leaders of the thriving 90’s Downtown scene. On drums was the esteemed Rashied Ali, best known as John Coltrane’s drummer during the saxophone legend’s fiery and free final chapter.
On Sad Life, it’s evident this early on in his career that Perelman doesn’t suppress his own personal musical makeup in the presence of more established masters like Parker and Ali; he asserts control with confidence that his partners will apply their special talents to take each songs to a higher plane. When you hear Perelman articulate alone at the beginning of “Urgencia” and then is joined by Ali and Parker without disrupting his flow, it becomes so evident that Perelman’s improvisation is not the chance appearance of notes but a fully-realized melodic development. But also once Parker takes hold of the pattern, the leader is free to go frolic even further out.
“Hoedown” (not the Oliver Nelson song) quickly settles into a groove thanks to Parker’s figure that keeps returning to a certain note, but that’s all Perelman needs to paint a complete portrait. Ali’s cymbals and snare clouds are instantly recognizable, fitting into unsettled conditions better than probably any other drummer.
“Dualities” reduces the three-way interaction to just Perelman and Parker for the first couple of minutes and when Ali joins the fray, Perelman goes into Peter Brötzmann mode. Parker’s solo spot is a direct extension of what he was playing along with the other two, revealing that for him, there’s no real distinction between soloing and comping. Ali follows with his own brief feature, and he, too, doesn’t change his stripes when everyone else backs away.
“Warm Velvet” is relatively straight-ahead until it’s evident that Parker is playing a pattern that runs counter to Perelman; it alters the entire harmonic makeup of the song. Parker begins “Life Forms” by scouring through his repertoire, alternately sawing and plucking, eventually settling on a rumbling groove exploited by Ali and Perelman. Parker’s bass lines dart around like a hummingbird for “Espiral,” giving just enough for a frame of reference for both Ali and Perelman.
Perelman came up with most of the songs but he also adapted a trio of folk tunes, and his interpretations succeed in retaining that folk spirit while making them wholly reflective of Perelman’s emotional character on the tenor saxophone. “Caiapó” has a buoyant, happy underpinning from Parker, a connection back to Perelman’s Brazilian heritage and fully embraced by the leader himself by the end of the performance. Perelman plays an Ayler-like sing-song melody for “Alagoana” and then proceeds to deconstruct it before building it back up again. “Sad Life” does indeed throw off a sorrowful vibe, Perelman reaching high in his saxophone’s register to emit a wailing sound and Parker with his bow bolsters that downcast mood, matching up with the horn so perfectly it’s sometimes hard to tell them apart. When the bassist put the bow down, he offers up a poignant melody and Perelman sings it gorgeously through his sax.
The refreshed version of Sad Life is out now, and you can now obtain your copy from Bandcamp.
*** Ivo Perelman CD’s and vinyl on Amazon ***
