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Featuring Dominic
Duval on contrabass and multi-winds player Joe McPhee on soprano sax
only. Second superb studio date from two local giants who also make up
2/3 of Trio X. You can tell that these two master improvisers have been
playing together for last decade or so, from the way they work so
perfectly together. All but two of these pieces were written/improvised
by Joe and/or Dominic, with select covers, a touching version of
"Amazing Grace" and the standard "While My Lady Sleeps".
Many of these
pieces have a solemn, subdued quality that is perfect for those
reflective times of late night listening and some fine wine. As a
longtime Joe McPhee fan, I must admit that he never lets me down either
on records (many dozens) or live. I am also an old friend and fan of
Dominic and here, his playing is at its best, his tone, his choice of
notes and that vibe of digging deep into one's heart and soul and giving
it up really rings true on this fabulous date. |
Downtown Music Gallery
Bruce
Gallanter |
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There
are various instances in jazz where opulence prevails, saturating us
with meaningless optimism and submissive corporate immovability. Duval
and McPhee are far away from all this: their heartfelt exchange of
sapiently paced, thoughtful melodies sounds like there's still hope for
all of us to carve a personal niche in life, just to gain a few minutes
to think hard. Joe's soprano has a rubicund tone that only decades of
total commitment to playing can develop; nevertheless, he's able to fire
a few serious body shots when necessary. Dominic's mastery is reinforced
by his capacity of transforming convolutions and spirals into
cool-headed, soul stirring exaltations of acoustic spaces while gracing
his fretless board with aleatory fingerings and quarter-tone
momentariness. Once again, "The art of the duet" is shown in all its
spread, a good antidote against ear pollution. |
Touching Extremes
Massimo Ricci |
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Le contrebassiste Dominic Duval a récemment tenu à enregistrer en
compagnie de 3 amis, histoire de jauger l’influence de la proximité des
rapports sur l’improvisation en duo. Deuxième des trois sets publiés par
le label Drimala – après celui enregistré en compagnie du multi
instrumentiste Mark Whitecage -, Rules of engagement, vol.2
demande la participation au projet d’une figure majeure du jazz libre :
Joe Mcphee.
Cet adepte de la trompette de poche fait le choix du saxophone ténor
pour improviser, mais aussi interpréter (Amazing grace, While
my lady sleep), aux côtés de Duval. Inutile de redire que les
musiciens se connaissent bien, puisqu’il s’agit du postulat de départ.
Reste maintenant à voir ce que l’expérience donne.
D’abord, la mécanique : de l’archet ou de ses pizzicati, Duval pose le
rythme. Connaissant trop la musique pour ignorer qu’improviser n’est
pas, comme beaucoup le pensent, abandonner la mélodie, McPhee impose
alors un jeu de références, mélodiques ou non, et peut venir enrichir
les préparations de Duval : de couacs, à la manière d’Albert Ayler (Coming
forth), de clins d’œil à Dewey Redman (Sunday improvisations 1,
Sunday’s coda), ou encore d’évocations de Steve Lacy (Birmingham
Sunday).
Et puis, au milieu de l’album, Joe McPhee nous parle (Monologue):
de la musique, qui ne naît pas seulement des notes, ni seulement du
rythme. Lui n’a d’ailleurs qu’à suivre le cours majestueusement creusé
par Duval. Le contrebassiste sait soutenir, entraîner ou apaiser,
enrichir d’harmoniques ou doubler les interventions du saxophone. Les
manières sont diverses (archet, pizzicato ou même slap) mais l’effet
toujours adéquat : paisible sur Amazing grace – dont le célèbre
thème subit ici le sort que Monk réservait à Just a gigolo -,
inspiré sur While my lady sleeps, toujours subtil.
S’il existe seulement des moments d’entente, Duval et McPhee ont
indéniablement su les saisir. Etablissant des parallèles sonores entre
leurs instruments, se permettant de répéter à l’envie une ligne
mélodique à peine trouvée ensemble, ils donnent ici leur vision,
réfléchie et délicate, de l’improvisation. La rencontre est fructueuse
et se termine le dixième morceau passé. Comme deux amis se quittent,
Solo sax et Solo bass se succèdent pour clore l’album.
Qu’arrivent les retrouvailles. |
Infratunes
Guillaume Belhomme |
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Joe
McPhee possui um daqueles sons de saxofone tenor e soprano que
facilmente se identificam às primeiras notas – a sua assinatura. O mesmo
sucede com o contrabaixo de Dominic Duval. Rules of Engagement,
Vol. 1, disco precedente na série de duetos que a Drimala Records tem
vindo a investigar, incluía Duval em diálogo com o saxofonista alto Mark
Whitecage, na sua primeira gravação em duo. O Vol. 2 de Rules of
Engagement, traz de volta Dominic Duval em mano-a-mano com uma das mais
fortes personalidades do jazz e da música improvisada da actualidade, o
grande Joe McPhee himself. No programa há composições de um e de outro
(e de ambos); um tema da tradição americana (Amazing Grace), o clássico
While My Lady Sleeps (Gus Kahn e Bronislau Kaper), e um solo
instrumental de cada músico, exclusivamente em saxofone soprano e
contrabaixo.
Não
é a primeira vez que Joe McPhee e Dominic Duval surgem engajados ao
serviço do nosso encantamento. Recordo o anterior The Dream Book
(Cadence Jazz Record, 1999), gravado ao vivo no clube Knitting Factory,
de Nova Iorque, com McPhee em sax alto e trompete de bolso, e Duval numa
variante do contrabaixo que levou o nome de quem o inventou, o Hutchins
bass. Dois discos diferentes, separados por cinco anos – idêntica
emoção.
Para
gravar Rules of Engagement, Vol. 2, os parceiros entraram em estúdio
armados apenas de décadas de experiência de tocar e ouvir. Ao meter a
mão na massa, o soprano dá quase sempre o mote, transbordando de soul e
de serenidade, longe dos ambientes fervilhantes que o saxofonista
habitualmente frequenta noutro outro tipo de contextos e com diferentes
formações. O duo com contrabaixo, pelas suas características
intrinsecamente intimistas, possibilita uma comunicação mais próxima
entre os artistas, e entre eles e o ouvinte, que, por sua vez, se sente
como que a participar activamente nas operações, na mais cúmplice
comunhão.
O
ambiente em Rules é predominantemente melancólico, em especial na
interpretação do espiritual Amazing Grace, onde McPhee desata toda a sua
inesgotável veia gospel, e em While My Lady Sleeps, com o sopro e as
cordas a embarcar no mais profundo lirismo. E é deste modo
tranquilo que se remata este disco poderoso, e se volta ao princípio com
gosto crescente. Fico já a cismar no próximo episódio musical destes
monstros, que tocam, com extremos de paixão e doçura, uma música aberta
à conquista das almas, seguindo a estratégia perfeita para prender a
atenção e a vontade do ouvinte, porque nunca deixam de surpreender e
maravilhar. |
Jazz e Arredores
Eduardo Chagas |
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Joe McPhee posee uno de esos sonidos al
saxo tenor y soprano que fácilmente se identifican en las primeras notas,
su sello particular. Lo mismo ocurre con el contrabajo de Dominic Duval.
Rules of Engagement, Vol. 1, el disco precedente en la serie de dúos con
que Drimala Records está investigando este formato, incluía a Duval en
un diálogo con el saxo alto Mark Whitecage en la que era su primera
grabación en este formato.
El Vol. 2 de Rules of Engagement trae de
nuevo a Dominic Duval en un mano a mano con una de las personalidades
más fuertes del jazz y de la música improvisada en la actualidad, el
gran Joe McPhee. En el programa hay composiciones de uno y de otro (y de
ambos conjuntamente), un tema de la tradición norteamericana (Amazing
Grace), el clásico While My Lady Sleeps (Gus Kahn y Bronislau Kaper), y
un tema en solitario de cada músico, exclusivamente al saxo soprano y
contrabajo.
No es la primera vez que Joe McPhee y
Dominic Duval han aparecido en disco juntos para nuestro deleite.
Recuerdo el anterior The Dream Book (Cadence Jazz Records, 1999),
grabado en directo en el club Knitting Factory de Nueva York con McPhee
al saxo alto y la trompeta de bolsillo y Duval en una variante del
contrabajo que llevaba el nombre de su inventor, el Hutchins Bass. Dos
discos diferentes, separados por cinco años pero una emoción idéntica.
Para grabar Rules Of Engagement, Vol.2 los
músicos entraron en el estudio tan sólo armados de décadas de
experiencia en tocar y escuchar. Al meter las manos en la masa, el
soprano expone casi siempre el tema, repleto de soul y de serenidad,
lejos de los ambientes hirvientes que el saxofonista habitualmente
frecuenta en otro tipo de contextos y con formaciones diferentes. El dúo
con contrabajo, por sus características intrínsicamente intimistas,
posibilita una comunicación más próxima entre los artistas y entre ellos
y el oyente, quien a su vez se siente como un participante activo en la
música en la más cómplice de las comuniones.
El ambiente en Rules es predominantemente
melancólico, en especial en la interpretación del espiritual Amazing
Graze dónde McPhee desata toda su inagotable vena gospel y en While My
Lady Sleeps, con el saxo y las cuerdas embarcadas en el más profundo
lirismo.
Y de este modo tranquilo se remata este
disco poderoso y se vuelve al principio con un creciente placer. Empiezo
ya a cavilar con el próximo episodio musical de estos monstruos que
tocan, con extremada pasión y locura, una música abierta a la conquista
de las almas, siguiendo una estrategia perfecta para captar la atención
y la voluntad del oyente, porque nunca dejan de sorprender y maravillar. |
Toma Jazz
Eduardo Chagas |
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Rules of Engagement, Vol. 2 is
a stunning realization of top-flight improvisation by two of the music’s
best performers. Joe McPhee and Dominic Duval bring a collective wealth
of experience, passion, and commitment to their respective arts and
combine here in an intimate duo setting ranging from pure abstraction to
programmatic tone poems of the highest order. Both explicitly political
(four of the pieces are responses to the same 1963 Birmingham church
bombing that elicited Coltrane’s “Alabama”) as well as communal (“we
attempt to be one with each other as well as our fellow human beings”),
the playing is also combative, rancorous, and unruly. Community is by no
means an easily attained ideal (“attempting” is sometimes the most we
can strive for), and the very tenor of Duval and McPhee’s interactions
testifies to the intricacies and complexities associated with any effort
toward mutual understanding. “Sometimes we succeed, sometimes not.”
Kicking
things off is “Nexus”, a rough and tumble affair, with McPhee scrawling
witness in consort with acerbic bowing from Duval. McPhee’s soprano (his
sole instrument on this outing) has rarely sounded as steadfast as it
does here, and he moves throughout these pieces as someone on a mission.
Duval is both perfect foil and consummate leader (in near equal turns)
and there are remarkable moments throughout the set where McPhee clearly
approximates the timbre of Duval’s bass to striking effect.
“Sunday
Improvisations 1” features harshly lyrical lines from McPhee reminiscent
of Roscoe Mitchell in mid-flight, while Duval bounces pizzicato
underneath. Duval’s speed and clarity are remarkable as is his ability
to move in and out of tonally ambiguous areas, at one point
approximating the sound of a huge rubber band pulled from slack to taut
and back again. “Birmingham Sunday” showcases Duval’s arco work to
great consequence, with his bass taking much of the lead throughout the
piece. McPhee is more elegiac, more taciturn, shading things and filling
in space left by Duval, more rhythmically dedicated than melodically,
although he certainly has his song-like moments too.
Following McPhee’s discussion of the significance of the melodic imagery
of his repeating four note motif (a direct allusion to the Birmingham
bombings), he and Duval launch into the seven-minute long “Sunday
Improvisations, 2”, with Duval delivering rapid-fire runs for McPhee to
rest his threnody upon. The juxtaposition is sometimes jarring—slowly
plangent vs. swiftly virtuosic—but when they do converge, the result is
particularly arresting.
The
obvious choice for a follow-up and America’s true National Anthem,
“Amazing Grace”, is unfortunately a bit of a letdown as both men
approach the piece cautiously. It’s as difficult a piece as any to
tackle, and there is a palpable reticence to do too much with it,
resulting in little more than a five-times through reading of the theme.
It is a humbling performance, to be sure, and done with obvious
admiration, but not as satisfying an experience for the listener as it
must have been for the performers.
The disc
rounds out with two solo performances, nearly identical in length, and
both utterly convincing in execution. McPhee builds his piece slowly,
paced like a master, filled with striking timbres and a certain
persuasive looseness to his phrasings—he slides (almost carelessly) into
the next thought rather than hitting it head-on. Duval, again on bow, is
much more adamant—mercurial and at times menacing. He is more resolute
but no less artful for that, and the two duets are the perfect closure
to a wonderful recording.
In a
market now inundated with purported examples of the “art of the duo”, it
is nice to come along the real thing. Run, don’t walk, to pick this one
up. Apparently duet performances have been scheduled through 2005 in the
US and Europe. See you in the audience. |
One Final Note
Matt Sumera |
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Free
bassist Dominic Duval's Rules of Engagement series of duets continues
apace with this second volume featuring Joe McPhee on soprano saxophone
as his opposite number. There is a fairly large amount of thematic
material being improvised around for such an avant garde date, and the
results are impressive. The music is by turns hot, cool,
impressionistic, elegant and elegiac; Duval and McPhee communicate
together very effectively and creatively.
The set
opens up with "Nexus," a burst of kinetic energy reminiscent of early
1960s Ornette Coleman. The next several tracks are variations of and/or
corollaries to McPhee's "Birmingham Sunday," his meditation on the
epochal 1963 church bombing in Alabama that resulted in the deaths of
four little girls. These are emotionally rich, melding probing bass
lines both bowed and plucked with soulful blowing; an understated and
fairly straightforward reading of "Amazing Grace" follows as a sort of
coda, sounding both triumphant and defiant after the half hour that
precedes it.
Yet we
don't leave this charged territory entirely; next is a slow, almost
serpentine unfolding of "While My Lady Sleeps," with its inevitable
echoes of John Coltrane's version. Coltrane is further invoked in
"Coming Forth," ostensibly an original piece by McPhee & Duval that more
turns into than features a quote from "India;" Duval's percussive
technique seems at least much in the debt of Elvin Jones as of Jimmy
Garrison. Closing the set out are two extended solos, first from McPhee,
then Duval. But the segue is seamless and the the duet de facto.
Rules of
Engagement, Vol. 2 is a fascinating recording. The music is spiritually
rooted in the 1960s, with nods to Ornette, Trane and perhaps Sam Rivers,
but nonetheless modern. The interplay between Dominic Duval and Joe
McPhee is very close, and the conceptual depth of the date is
considerable and striking. |
Jazz Review
Ted Kane |
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Free
jazz duos often indulge in musical dialogues that appear to give more
pleasure to the participants than the listener. This is not a criticism
that can be leveled at this wonderful disc for the music it contains
communicates on several levels stimulating both intellectual and
emotional responses. The rules of engagement referred to in the title
are “Don’t think, just do!” but I can’t help feeling that the players
are being just a little disingenuous in making this statement because it
sounds to my ears that a great deal of thought has gone into the
creation of this music even though it may be un-scored and appears
spontaneous. This is, however, a small matter because what is really
important is the finished result and this is without doubt a set that
deserves to be heard by a wider audience than might normally be
attracted to these artists and their chosen genre.
The
notes go on to describe how their common experiences “make up the fabric
of our songs” and how the music is informed by a “ love and reverence
for all those who have come and gone before us”. Of these the influence
of Coltrane looms large and is particularly evident in the bright modal
piece entitled “Coming Forth”, which is reminiscent of “Your Lady” from
the “Live at Birdland” album. In this piece McPhee intersperses tight
arpegiated flurries with legato extensions of the melody laid over a
slap bass ostinato emulating the role fulfilled by Elvin Jones’s
polyrhythmic drumming. The other principal influence I detect is that of
Jimmy Giuffre, not only in McPhees use of microtonal effects and
unpitched blowing but in the introspective musings of the two
protagonists who co-exist in a similar way to the Giuffre, Bley. Swallow
triumvirate – minus, of course the third voice.
Like the
famed Giuffre trio, Duval & McPhee play music of great intelligence that
requires and rewards the close attention due to sophisticated chamber
music but the duo also have the capacity to ravish the senses in a way
that often failed Giuffre. This is largely due to Duvals wonderfully
rich and sonorous bass playing which in arco mode achieves a depth of
expression that sounds almost orchestral. Not that McPhee is in anyway
gratuitously cerebral or difficult; his playing often achieves a sweet
song-like timbre particularly in an un-embellished version of “Amazing
Grace” which he has the humility to play straight, letting the beauty of
the melody speak for itself. Then there is an absolutely stunning
version of the ballad “ While My Lady Sleeps”, so beautiful with its
keening folk song quality that it has become a permanent feature of my
daily play list.
The
centrepiece of the recital is, however, is a set of four pieces inspired
by the atrocity committed in Birmingham, Alabama on the 15th of
September 1963. Of these, the longest at just over ten minutes is
“Birmingham Sunday” and in a short spoken dialogue that follows McPhee
explains how he has used a four note motif to commemorate the four
little girls who died in the bombing. The music takes the form of a
lamentation, the soprano at times harrowing in its agitated vocalised
cries, the bass, somber and sorrowful. “Sunday Improvisations 1 and 2”
enlarge upon this theme with anguished skittering passages juxtaposed
with devotional hymn-like dirges that are often deeply affecting.
The
players sign off with two solo pieces that showcase their respective
instruments: McPhee opens with a series of monotone phrases of varying
duration and pitch interspersed with periods of silence before resolving
into a sequence of triads; Duval opens his piece with a swooping bowed
scherzo and goes onto to explore the rich timbres of the lower registers
in what amounts to tour de force of musical expression in any category
or none.
For
those who have an ear for improvised music this is a must have recording
but I would urge even those with more conventional tastes to seek it out
because its heartfelt profundity and arresting soundscape will, I
believe, have a wider appeal than that normally enjoyed by Free Jazz. |
Jazz Views
Euan Dixon |
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The
thrill of improvised music is surely taken for granted these days, so
high is the skill level of many improvisers who make these demanding
encounters sound effortless. Virginia-based Drimala Records have
curated some of the finest improvised music in recent years, with their
strongest releases being a series of duet sessions pairing some of the
giants of the field. Bass dynamo Dominic Duval is one such artist
given an opportunity to interact with others, having teamed up with
saxophonist Mark Whitecage on the first volume.
This
second summit finds Duval engaging in an intimate, moving set of music
with Joe McPhee (another previous duet collaborator on the wonderful
The Dream Book), who here sticks to soprano saxophone.
Throughout this eleven song program, Duval and McPhee actively engage
one another, but this is hardly a sis-boom-bah, let's blow each other
out of the room session. Rather, whether the pieces are composed
or not, a certain thematic thread runs through and especially worth
noting is the overall reflective, even somber tone throughout.
Such
solemnity hits deepest on McPhee's "Birmingham Sunday" a potent and
heartfelt rumination inspired by the 1963 Alabama church bombings, made
richer thanks to a spoken explanation from McPhee. The associated
"Sunday" pieces, drawn both spiritually and thematically from the main
piece are inspired links with Duval's lithe pizzicato and arco work in
conjunction with McPhee's thoughtful statements. In contrast to
the melancholia of the previous events, "Amazing Grace" emerges to
uplift, serving to bookend the reflective and compelling previous
half-hour to offer hope. Duval and McPhee do manage to shoot
sparks, as the opener, "Nexus" commences with an initial energetic burst
before settling into a zone, while the standard "While My Lady Sleeps"
is given a relatively straight and as a result, a less convincing read.
For
those looking for more examples of Duval's astonishing technique, look
no further than "Coming Forth" featuring his percussive string tapping
mixed with his trademark agility. The pair round out the set with
solo pieces for each musician with McPhee's measured voyage matching
Duval's spirited, full-bodied arco flights. This release digs deep
into the soul with the mantra, "don't think, just do!" Two master
improvisers make it sound easy -- here's to Duval's volume three. |
Signal to Noise
Jay Collins |
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On the
first duo recording in five years by these longtime partners,
multi-instrumentalist McPhee unusually restricts himself to soprano sax.
As he explains in a brief spoken commentary, "Birmingham Sunday" is an
elegy for the four young victims of the notorious Alabama church bombing
by white racists in 1963. Here bassist Duval mostly plays arco,
sustaining McPhee's emotional lament. The saxophonist likes to
include a standard, and here it's the rarely heard "While My Lady
Sleeps" by film composer Bronislau Kaper, recorded by John Coltrane.
A McPhee favorite, "Amazing Grace", which as I recall he usually plays
on tenor sax, gets a respectful and tender interpretation. |
The Wire
Andy Hamilton |
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Rules of Engagement,
Vol. 1 was a set of duets between bassist Dominic Duval and
saxophonist Mark Whitecage; for this return match Duval is partnered
with veteran saxophonist Joe McPhee. (A third volume of Rules
pairing Duval with trombonist Steve Swell is slated for release later in
the year.) As you’d expect from these longstanding musical partners
(together they comprise two-thirds of the hardworking free-jazz ensemble
Trio-X) this is a thoroughly sympathetic encounter. The album can be
thought of as a loosely organized suite concerning the black American
experience: the program includes two improvisations around Ellington’s
“Come Sunday,” a reading of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” and “Birmingham
Sunday,” a memorial to the four children killed in the 1963 bombing of a
black Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama. The same incident inspired
Coltrane’s “Alabama,” and it’s no accident that the one “standard” here
is the rarely covered “While My Lady Sleeps,” which Coltrane once cut
for Prestige. But despite featuring the odd moment of scrabbling
activity, Rules of Engagement has little of Coltrane’s
turbulence; it’s quietly thoughtful music, its drama confined to the
stark contrast between McPhee’s sombre, plainspoken work on soprano sax
and Duval’s slip-sliding bass. |
Paris Transatlantic
Dan Warburton |
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As McPhee verbally articulates, the most
moving – and longest – track of the CD, “Birmingham Sunday”, is his
heartfelt threnody for the four young girls who were killed in the
racist inspired church bombing in Birmingham, Ala. in 1963. (John
Coltrane’s “Alabama” dealt with the same subject).
In that way, the entire middle section of
the CD should be heard as a suite, with “Sunday Improvisations 1” and
“Sunday Coda” as the prelude to “Birmingham Sunday” and “Sunday
Improvisations 2” and “Amazing Grace” serving as the postlude.
Conventionally sylvan, the Hollywood ballad “While My Lady Sleeps”— also
recorded by Coltrane – may or may not serve as the coda to the suite.
Utilizing melancholia naturally expressed
with the soprano’s pinched tone, McPhee begins his improvisations on
“Birmingham Sunday” placidly and restrained. With Duvall bowing legato
lines beneath him, the saxophonist trills careful, wavering split tones,
then becomes more tender in his output, as the bassist’s strokes become
legato. Expanding on the theme by introducing melodies that could come
from half-remembered classic films, suddenly McPhee vibrates a
resonating screech that could replicate the explosion that caused those
deaths. With Duval holding firm with a constant rhythm, the reedist
blows multiphonics in such a way as to almost expose the inside of his
horn until the elegy ends.
Chirping tones, sluices up and down the
scale, gentle, wavering lines and squeaking chirps from the saxophone
distinguish the ancillary tracks which surround “Birmingham Sunday”,
although there is nearly no deviation from the melody in the barely
three-minute version of “Amazing Grace”.
Sympathetic as always, Duval centres the
improvisations, moving from bumping resonation and stentorian plucks to
amplified squeaks and sliced timbres, all of which complements McPhee’s
oscillating, sporadically abstract lines.
If “While My Lady Sleeps” isn’t part of the
suite, it can be heard as an elegy for Coltrane without McPhee imitating
any of the master’s style. His echoing cadenzas are part of a languid
reworking of the melody, almost vibrato-less, at points his sound barely
rises above a whisper.
The rest of the CD provides other examples
of the two men’s art, in duo and solo on the final tracks. At points
McPhee builds up to manic flutter tonguing or resonates staggering loops
that almost take on bagpipe timbres. Spectacularly Duval shows off a
percussive counterline on much of the proceedings, adding spiccato
slashes and instrument belly bops as well as slashing sul tasto and sul
ponticello circular motion.
Impressionism, romanticism and extended
techniques – what more could a committed listener want from this
well-matched duos? |
Jazz Word
Ken Waxman
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Duval invited McPhee to join him for his
second Rules of Engagement meeting, after releasing a duet with Mark
Whitecage as Volume 1 last year. Duval has often been McPhee’s bassist
of choice and 1999’s duo set The Dream Book remains one of the best in
each of their discographies. There’s nothing hurried about the session.
They play so sweetly that a brief “Amazing Grace” is an apex without
cliché. Despite his long association with McPhee and a tenure with Cecil
Taylor, his work as a leader has been rare (the C.T. String Quartet
being a notable exception). The Rules of Engagement series might afford
him the chance to step into that role. |
All About Jazz
Kurt Gottschalk |
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Part of
Drimala's continuing duet series, this lovely recording shines the
spotlight on the longstanding and quite fertile partnership between
McPhee and Duval. Over the past decade, they have shone in Duval's
Ensemble, the Bluette, and in the great Trio X, producing a steady
stream of vital documents. Their music has always seemed to me
like lyricism on the edge of a knife. These performances are
beautifully constructed miniatures, exploring both fractious,
experimental music-making and the chastened, bruised heart-on-sleeve
romanticism that one hears on the rapturous Bluette recordings (with Joe
Giardullo and Michael Bisio alongside the pair).
These
two continue -- album after album -- to explore similar materials and,
in an Ayler-like fashion, invest them with vitality but also coax from
them their inherent riches (the "Sunday Improvisations" or the reverent
"Amazing Grace"). McPhee sticks to soprano for the entirety of
this date and, while I miss his pocket trumpet on this kind of material,
this is a great chance to hear one of the least-used horns. Duval
is so fleet and imaginative, with his racing finger work recalling the
best of Paul Rogers or Barry Guy (just dig his intense introduction to
"While My Lady Sleeps"). The partners play with grace and
restraint ("Sunday's Coda") or manic urgency ("Birmingham Sunday," which
is effectively appended by McPhee's "Monologue," wherein he dedicates
the music to the four girls killed in the 1963 church bombing in
Alabama), giving the program considerable variety. "Coming Forth"
has a bounce and a swing that is unique in these pieces, a joy where the
others evince sorrow. But there's dignity and redemption in this
music, just like in the best soul and blues. One final note, while
the solo pieces are excellent (McPhee's meditations on a single note,
and Duval's smeary glissandi), I wonder if they wouldn't be better
placed in the middle of the disc. A minor quibble. This is a
wonderful recording. |
Cadence Magazine
Jason Bevins |
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