Ivo Perelman and Matthew Shipp - The Art of the Duet (Leo Records, 2013)

Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman and pianist Matthew Shipp have a simpatico musical relationship like few others. Perelman is in the midst of an extraordinary run of very high quality albums and many of them feature Shipp. On this album, their duality is especially poignant, pair of old friends that can immediately react to the emotions of the other and instinctively react to challenge, comfort or inspire their partner. Both Perelman and Shipp use the entire range of their respective instruments and this allows them a wide variety of sounds and moods to enrich their improvisations. There is a spontaneity that shows the musicians working without preconceived notions on thirteen freely improvised miniatures. Silence is often the third member of the group as they use open space to highlight their ideas and are comfortable enough with a shared silence that they do not feel the need to clutter the music unnecessarily. They communicate in a very meaningful fashion, from harsh and grating to soft, contemplative and subtle. This was a very well done album of music that ebbs and flows in a very personal fashion and leaves the listener with the feeling of having listened to a private and personal conversation between two musicians that have a keep kinship. The Art Of The Duet - amazon.com

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