js
The Rare Noise label has been putting out some interesting avant-garde improvisational recordings lately by mixing participants from various genres, often pairing musicians from the world of avant-rock with free jazz players and/or noise artists. In that spirit of experimentalism, Rare Noise brings together saxophonist Ivo Perelman, drummer Balazs Pandi and bassist Joe Morris for the free improvisational recording of “One”. Ivo is a powerhouse saxophonist who has been playing free jazz with top notch jazz musicians for years, Balazs is a hardcore thrash drummer who can also play in a free jazz-rock style and Joe Morris is usually a blues based free jazz player on guitar, but apparently he will wear the bass hat on occasion, as he does on this recording.
Throwing these three together without rehearsal involved some risk, but due to each musician’s personal integrity and talent, most of the music on here is quite good. Things start off great on album opener “Freedom”, as it sounds like the producer didn’t start recording until they hit something good. Sounding like they are already in mid-jam when the CD starts, “Freedom” shows this trio at their best, everyone going full throttle at once. Balazs’ mixture of thrash and Elvin Jones type free wheeling ramble makes a great backdrop for Perelman’s constant attack on the tenor. Every great avant-garde saxophonist has their own sound, Perelman tends to eschew the pure noise approach and mostly sticks to the notes, but his ability to move between the notes like a slide whistle is uncanny and probably took years to perfect.
After the onslaught of the opening track, “What Love Can Lead to” finds things a bit quieter as Perelman plays around with an odd melody sounding a bit like Albert Alyer. Track 3 starts quiet before it erupts into some weird rock while track 4, “One”, shows the band at their most introspective. “Universal Truth” brings back the hardcore energy, while album closer “Stigma” goes through a variety of changes and moods.
There is much to be said for subtlety and understatement, but these three sound best when they are going full blast, which is close to half of this CD. Pandi in his element during the most intense parts, but during the more subtle sections, his lack of background in more organic poly-rhythms (DeJohnette, Billy Higgins etc) becomes more apparent. Having said that, Balazs is an incredible drummer overall, and I think fans of modern noise music and free jazz-rock will want to pick this one up.