Paul Dunmall

Alex Bonney/Paul Dunmall/Mark Sanders
The Beholder’s Share
Bead 48

Having passed 70 doesn’t mean that British saxophonist Paul Dunmall is slowing down in any way. Having been part of playing situations involving most contemporary UK improvisers most notably Keith Tippett, Dunmall is now working with musicians of all ages. These sessions recorded four days apart in the same Birmingham studio can be heard as micro and  micro Dunmall, with no lessening of quality between the two.

First chronologically, The Beholder’s Share, matches Dunmall’s soprano and tenor saxophone with Mark Sanders, who has arguably been on more  free sessions than any other UK drummer, and Alex Bonney playing trumpet, modular synth and laptop. A member of light.box and other bands, Boney is also a producer and engineer. One of the players on Bright Light A  Joyous Celebration is bassist Dave Kane, who works in  duo with Bonney as well as being a founder member of the Leeds Improvised Music Association. The non-Brit featured is US drummer Hamid Drake, who has recorded with Dunmall in the past and has likely drummed on even more sessions than Sanders. Vibraphonist Corey Mwamba is also in another band with Kane, Alto and tenor saxophonist Soweto Kinch is known for blending Hip Hop and Jazz, while tenor saxophonist Xhosa Cole is part of Birmingham’s creative music scene.

Bonney’s programmed currents are constant rumbling presences on the first disc, while in contrast Sanders’ refined drum strategy is oblique and obtuse. That means the exposition is defined between the two horns. As mellow brass portamento evolves to speedy triplet pops and bugling screams as the saxophonist responds in kind with bitten off textures and irregular vibrations. Similarly a change from corkscrew trumpet squawks and half-valve vibrations allows Dunmall scope to emphasize change  with whiny vibrations and tongue slaps as linear tones. These light/dark variations skirt conventional evolution as synthesized oscillations add otherworldly drones and hisses to the tracks. Straightened into a logical flow once Sanders’ drum rebounds and cymbal slaps are asserted during the final sequence of the concluding “Generating Worlds”, the preceding sections contain the most dissonant playing. Even as the curlicue voltage sucking sounds of 21^st century expression whoosh alongside and underneath the solos, flatulent brass ripples and cascading reed doits and split tones still resemble the Ayler Brothers 1960s output at its most experimental. Managing to meld both motifs is the skill that characterizes the session and leaves a lasting impression.

If The Beholder’s Share is an instance of electro-acoustic improvisation, then Bright Light A  Joyous Celebration’s five tracks can be characterized as radiant FreeBop. Here the players detour into kwela, groove and straight-ahead currents. From “You Look Away”, whose linear motion has elements of “Take the A Train”, Kane’s coordinated bass pulse and Drake’s in the pocket drumming plus ingenious coloration from vibe sustain and reverberation provide the infrastructure needed for the saxes to express their architectural designs. Although tenor saxophone timbre advanced by all three reed players can be similar, Dunmall’s soprano sax outlines triple-tongued flutters, while power squalls and speedy theme splays from all or each of the reedists cement linear progression.

Meanwhile, varied tempos, strains and pitches are explored through multiphonics and shimmies, other tunes. This most notable on “I’ve Had A Lot”, where layered saxophone riffs are used to harmonize back to straight-ahead a narrative that was splintered with harsh reed honks, stutters and smears. Aluminum bar chiming and drum thumps here and elsewhere demonstrate that the six players can improvise without letdown at lento, as well as andante and presto tempos.

While other motifs ranging from stinging reed bites from alto saxophonist Kinch; multi-dimensional sheets of sounds from tenor saxophonists; harsh drum ruffs and solid driven reverberations from the vibist are heard, unforced swing and horizontal motion predominate. In fact, the overall moods expressed are not surprisingly, bright and joyous.

Taking the two sessions together, Dunmall again demonstrates his skill and comfort in many situations whether they touch on electronic variations or propel sounds just slightly past  contemporary improvised music.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Beholder: 1. Resonance Refractions 2. Arid/In Phase 3. Generating Worlds

Personnel: Beholder: Alex Bonney (trumpet, modular synth and laptop); Paul Dunmall (tenor and soprano saxophones) and Mark Sanders (drums)

Track Listing: Bright: 1. You Look Away 2. Many Sparrows 3. Disbelief 4. I’ve Had A Lot 4. Bright Light A Joyous Celebration

Personnel: Bright: Soweto Kinch (alto and tenor saxophones);  Paul Dunmall (tenor and soprano saxophones); Xhosa Cole (tenor saxophone); Corey Mwamba (vibraphone); Dave Kane (bass) and Hamid Drake (drums)