Ivo Perelman - Molten Gold

The Free Jazz Collective 0

Ivo Perelman is prolific and works with some of the most illustrious musicians. Usually, in duo or trios, Perelman delivers sax lines like they were visual and physical entities – which, to Perelman, they are, as he has the unusual ability to see music in colour tones – not quite in the physical sense, but near enough – which is what gives his music quality. Like just one or two other players I can think of, Perelman almost creates visual art through his music.

Here on Molten Gold Perelman is with Joe Morris on bass, trombonist Ray Anderson and drummer Reggie Nicholson. A 2 CD set, with two tracks per CD, the four tracks each have their own character and are linked by the intuitions of the musicians and the stealth of Perelman to blend and merge between the sounds like a sleek leopard, constantly altering his tone and intonation to accommodate the players with whom he is interacting.

Perelman told me, “For this recording, I've been experimenting with different ligatures, reeds, and mouthpieces. On Molten Gold I used a setup that really plays well for me. I got a consistent tone throughout the register, great articulation, and a new "woody " tone that pleased me a great deal.”

On Molten Gold, Perelman has achieved a sound that is different, and it is smoother in many places than on many recordings. Whether that is due to his honed setup or whether Perelman is simply intuitively reacting to the musicians he has teamed with matters not one iota. As on each recording, Perelman retains his distinctive style but his playing is tilted and influenced by the musicians he collaborates with.

The album has such a lot to hold the listener’s attention – on ‘Aqua Regia’ the bass opening is followed with all the musicians tracking their own path, yet the key, tempos, and changes are so intricately linked to those around that the lines seem to flow in flux. The sax and bass arise out of the music in a delicate diversion before re-joining the main path where all four musicians remain connected.

‘Liquid’ opens with warping trombone muttering under the bass and drums before Perelman instigates some well-honed counter-intuitive notes and rhythms, forcing a change of rhythm. He almost purrs over the bass, which now comes forth with its own growling melodic section. ‘Warming Up’ has a grandiose opening with creative, drum rolls, with the bass subtly in the background before the sax and trombone flutter around each other, bouncing riffs and musical ideas off each other, Perelman flying crazily around the five-minute mark, Anderson reacting with a stream of riffs, re-taking the initiative and now Perelman follows. Drum and bass fall away at one point, leaving Perelman and Anderson in quirky conversation which drives toward the edge of cohesion once the bass and drums re-enter with Perelman seeking the edge of the altissimo range and damn near finding it.

This CD set proves, if that were necessary, that when you put four outstanding improvises together you are going to get improvised music that feels like it was created for them. There is no lead, and no followers but four listeners and musicians who are well-trained enough to lean into each other and know when to surge and when to back off a little. Perelman on occasion does what he does so well – and that is to provide the unifying melodic phrases that serve to link the musicians he is playing with.

Like a good wine that tastes good without you knowing why, it is the secret ingredients that create the overall taste and here, quality abounds. The ingredients of each musician, along with Perelman’s particular flavours, create the perfect blend of character, colour, and taste.

Lines twirl, writhe, and entwine, at times like a nest of vipers in their hidden surprise and energy, at others like lovers, vying for each other’s touch and notice. Emerging finally as a unified entity that has captured many nuances that create outstanding improvised music.