The saxophonists Dave Liebman and Evan Parker might not immediately strike one as likely associates: Liebman, a one-time member of Miles Davis’ electric band, usually works well within the jazz tradition; Parker is usually associated with free improvisation and a mastery of techniques including circular breathing and polyphonic lines. However they share strong common roots in the music of John Coltrane, Liebman emphasizing the harmonic discourse, Parker the molecular exploration of rhythmic and melodic motifs of Coltrane’s final energy-music phase. The result here is a cheerful explosion of free jazz, two senior masters reaching to their insistent roots to explore musical fraternity, creating in the process firestorms of saxophone blow-out in company with drummer Tony Bianco whose fiercely knitted rolls form a dense moving backdrop for their dialogue. While Parker and Liebman have distinct characteristic sounds—the former gruffer and more vocal, the latter more metallic—so intense are the empathy and cohesion here that there are moments in which identities merge and shift, each passing through the mirror of instrumental voices. While their soprano saxophones provide passages of light and reflection, it’s the dark intensity of the tenor exchanges that is most memorable in one of the year`s most impassioned releases.
