Ivo Perelman / Matthew Shipp

Udo Schindler & Masako Ohta

Kaiyūshiki teien

Creative Sources CS 615 CD

Stretching the exploratory woodwind/piano duet to its most provocative but logical extremes, are two dual national duos. Kaiyūshiki teien is one of a mushrooming series of group collaborations between Krailling-based multi-instrumentalist Udo Schindler that this time involves Tokyo-born Munich-based pianist Masako Ohta, who is also involved in so-called classical music. More closely allied to Jazz, Amalgam is also part of mushrooming series of group collaborations involving Brazilian-in-New York tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman, with this one involving his most frequent associate, pianist Matthew Shipp. Both discs are imposing with the chief demarcation between them is that Schindler-Ohta collaborate on one nearly one hour improvisation, whereas Perelman-Shipp divide their tonal searches into 12 segments, ranging from under three to about five minutes long.

Perhaps true to her straight music background, Ohta initially seems as if she wants to play in an impressionistic Bill Evans-Keith Jarrett-like configuration. Luckily almost as soon as Schindler enters with his repertoire of flattement, flutter tongued high peeps followed instantaneous by chalumeau lowing, the time sense and exposition, roughens and quickens to allegro. From that point on the ambulatory narratives encompass the pianist dipping into lower tones at the same time as she strums the internal strings on the piano harp, while the clarinetist produces more irregular textures from bronchial whines to moderated clarion peeps and throat growls. As the improvisation evolves it is fragmented and reconstructed numerous times with patterning reed bites and a carpet of key patterning connecting the motifs. Schindler continues to pull the exposition every which way with tongue slaps, irregular yelps and impenetrable high pitched screeches finally reaching a climax of sorts when he propels tone from two clarinets simultaneously. This leads to a melodic respite underlined by keyboard strokes. Eventually vibrating piano lines vibrate as they reshape the narrative as they meld with reed trills and whistles to finally sway to a comprehensive finale.

Unlike Ohta, Shipp’s grounding is in Jazz improvisation and there are several sequences during which his playing casually, but briefly references earlier Jazz styles from Stride to Bop, with his touch remaining singular and touching on the melodic sections. An admirer of the snapping simplicity of Albert Ayler’s themes, Perelman expresses that syncopation most obviously on “Part 9” and “Part 12”. Crying reed peeps on the former are answered with speedy piano rumbles, while the saxophonist’s altissimo squeaks give way to a nursery rhyme-like motif on the second tune as Shipp’s glissandi choruses moderate the proceedings. With a dozen tracks on which to experiment though, technical virtuosity is front and centre in both players’ work. The saxophonist shakes out bugle-like doits and “Reveille” approximations at some points, as well as reed bites, overblowing and flutter tonguing that sound like infant’s cries elsewhere. Meanwhile the pianist maintains grounded chordal melodies that challenge Perelman’s wide split tones on “Part 2”. He also shows off his ambidextrous skill on tracks such as “Part 7” by sounding high-pitched key clips at the same time as he’s popping out galloping variables to meet the saxophonist’s top-of-range reed squeaks. Fluttering tongued trills and elevated dog whistle-like peeps plus rolling pianism and allegro swing from the keyboard are also part of the game plan.

Still the defining amalgam is the penultimate “Part 11” where technical variations including treble cascades and pulsed vibrations from the pianist and swirling vibrations leading to an unbroken reed screech from the saxophonist. Both eventually affiliate in complementary low pitches though.

With enough individual ideas and technical skill to pace any sized configuration, these mixed duos show just how much can be expressed with just a piano and a reed instrument.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Kaiyūshiki: 1. Kaiyūshiki teien

Personnel: Kaiyūshiki: Udo Schindler (clarinet and bass clarinet) and Masako Ohta (piano)

Track Listing: Amalgam: 1. Part 1 2. Part 2 3. Part 3 4. Part 4 5. Part 5 6. Part 6 7. Part 7 8. Part 8 9. Part 9 10. Part 10 11. Part 11 12. Part 12.

Personnel: Amalgam: Ivo Perelman (tenor saxophone) and Matthew Shipp (piano