In the course of Ivo Perelman’s long career on and off records (but mostly, it seems to me, on, since he tends to release a new album every six weeks or so), there have been a few albums that rank as special and mesmerizing from start to finish. Fruition with pianist Matthew Shipp was clearly one of these, and so too, for me at least, is this new incarnation with vibes player Matt Moran.

Perelman explained to me that he rescued my label Ibeji (which released Soccer Land and Tapebas Songs in the 90s) in the digital format of Bandcamp. This way I will launch from time to time some special projects than other labels will not. This duo with Matt Moran comes after a period of studies of the tuning fork and its acoustics and therapeutic tools (see photo). That’s why you will hear in this recording a different timbre from my sax, penetrating and with richer harmonic sounds resulting from a vibrational hyper-absorption recently provided by these studies The vibraphone and the way Matt Moran plays it is very similar to what tuning forks provide.

It is thus not accidental or coincidental that many of these pieces are named after musical genres (Gregorian), methods of tuning (Pythagorean) or numerical sequences (Fibonacci). Perhaps most surprising, to me at least, is the one named after Robert Schumann. Even though I am aware that Ivo has a classical background, his jazz playing is so outré and has been so for so long that I would have thought his connection to classical music had been severed, perhaps not in his listening habits but surely in his methods of improvising. (Fore those who are wondering, Tesia is a Greek work meaning “late summer.” “Rife” is self-explanatory in English.)

Perelman starts off Gregorian with a rhythmic figure that becomes a motif, and although he produces a few high-register squeals, they are moderate and less important than his interaction with Moran, whose vibes stay mostly in the middle of the instrument’s range. Te basic calming influence of Moran has a salutary effect on Perelman, not only in this track but also in the ones that follow. For the first time in my experience Perelman’s figures, especially around the 2:30 mark, are actually playful, a nice quality that I didn’t know he possessed. He later indulges in some fast double-time figures that run up and down the scale, yet never conflicts too strongly with the vibes, which play a supporting role here but also have a calming effect. At 4:40 Perelman suddenly begins playing very softly and deep in his lowest register, a nice touch that, again, I hadn’t heard from him in other recordings. Towards the end he returns to the high range, but more to play plaintive appeals than to engender hysteria.

If anything, the mood in Pythagorean is even mellower, with Perelman playing actual melodic lines. For the most part, Moran sticks to a series of chords and isolated solo notes, creating an environment for Perelman to play in rather that goading him into more aggressive competition, and this serves both of them well. Moran gets to solo in this one, and it’s a good solo, bt by and large he acts like musical Ritalin for Perelman’s tendency towards hyper-excitement.

Tesia is a fast track, and here Perelman lives in his overblown high range, yet the figures he produces still make sense and add to Moran’s equally busy vibes. It’s actually a duo-improvisation rather than a chase chorus.

Schumann has nothing to do with the music of that German master; in fact, it is the most abstract piece on the album, yet it still has a relaxed feel. Here, Moran mostly plays chords, sounding like a glass harmonica, while Perelman creates a sparse yet delicate filigree around him. And so the performances go, always surprising, always original and all showing a slightly different aspect of Perlman’s musical personality. In such and environment, it’s easy to take Moran for granted, but working as a stabilizing force for Pereereman he performs an immense service.

Since every track works towards a unity of style, in which the twp instrument complement each other, there are no weak tracks or superfluous moments. Every note and phrase seems to have its place in this musical cocktail without one instrument or the other drowning out either participant. My sole regret was that the CD is very short, less than 40 minutes, but I assure you that every single moment has its high points.


I rescued my label Ibeji (which released Soccer Land and Tapebas songs in the 90s) in the digital format of Bandcamp. This way I will launch from time to time some special projects than other labels will not. This duo with Matt Moran comes after a period of studies of the tuning fork and its acoustics and therapeutic tools (see photo). That's why you will hear in this recording a different timbre from my sax, penetrating and with richer harmonic sounds resulting from a vibrational hyper-absorption recently provided by these studies The vibraphone and the way Matt Moran plays it is very similar to what tuning forks
provide.

Lynn Bayley
The Art Music Lounge