DL Review: Ivo Perelman - Reed Rapture In Brooklyn, Part Seven - With James Carter

Ivo Perelman

Reed Rapture In Brooklyn

(Mahakala)  ivoperelman.bandcamp.com/album/reed-rapture-in-brooklyn

Part Seven - With James Carter

James Carter has often strikes me as a saxophonist with a whole lot of ideas who wants to get them all out there in record time. He plays has a gifted sense of melody and speed, and he often straddles a rich line with some manic honks and wails, alternating between straightforward and overcharged. So he seems like a great partner for Ivo Perelman.

So it might sound contradictory that part seven of Reed Rapture In Brooklyn feels in some ways like the most composed of the two-reed sessions so far. In the track "7," it almost sounds like Perelman and Carter (who plays baritone sax on all nine duets) are playing variations on "It Ain't Necessarily So." If not that, it sounds like some testifying blues, where Carter plays a line and Perelman's tenor echoes his sentiment.

The duo loves moving through dynamic shifts rapidly. "2" alone runs all over the place, beginning with Perelman blowing air through his horn and unwrapping a dreamy melody with some old-time vibrato as Carter builds a foundation. Before long, the two of them are honking with enthusiasm, but that dies down quickly too. Carter's baritone sustains some rich tones and when Perelman follows suit, the effect is almost Ellingtonian. One track later, they getting wrapped up in Bach-like counterpoint. 

But the moments that imply structure most often come when Carter gets some funk going on his horn. Throughout the session, he pulls out some fat riffs that sound right at home in the baritone's low register. Sometimes he might be going through changes in his mind as he takes a six-note riff and modulates with it ("5"). When he goes into some rapid arpeggios, Perelman opts for a restrained bit of vibrato action that eventually goes wild. The tenor man seems like he's surrendering the floor to Carter in "4," adding just a few peeps, but before long they're in close formation, trading lines together.

There are many tea kettle moments, where they both unleash some vicious squeals that could tear down walls. Like a lot of what they duo does here, moments like this are fleeting, acting as a bridge to another sonic twist. But even the more intense moments are enough to make you sit up, listen and realize how quickly these two line up together.