Evan Parker / Alexander von Schlippenbach / Paul Lytton - America 2003

[Nate Dorward]

A 2CD set on Psi from last year's tour--dates from New Orleans and Seattle. Pretty strong stuff, & I think this strikes a nice balance: though the musical languages are now familiar & are present & correct, they never sound set in stone (an accusation often levelled at latterday Evan Parker). It's not strikingly "innovative" but it has a capacity to surprise--even the mandatory soprano solo (on disc disc), though the first 6 minutes or so are predictable, ends up deflected into fresh terrain. (I've often regretted that Parker reserves his most interesting twirls & arabesques for pat concluding formulae--when he thins out the texture & starts into one of them you know he's going to wind things up within the next 30 seconds. Here, though he explores one for the last 3 minutes of the piece, & it's quite invigorating.) There's a lot more jazz here than usual for an EP disc--little riffs, moments of tonally centered improvisation, &c. There's even a kind of funky "I Feel Good" riff roundabouts 13 minutes into disc 1 for instance that's more Maceo than Evan. And AVS's piano at times sounds strongly like a sped-up version of mid-1970s Mal Waldron--lots of quartal chords shifting up & down the keyboard. I hadn't made the connection before but I would guess Schlippenbach learned something from Waldron (who was of course a German resident). AVS's solo spot starts like a busier version of Ran Blake. -- I can't help thinking of the disc as a Schlippenbach trio disc with a different drummer, even though it's AVS who was a last-minute replacement for Barry Guy; in any case, Lytton's a marvel as always--a favourite moment is the strange World Musicky percussion+prepared piano on "Perhaps This Was His Choice". Evan's sometimes a bit inscrutable, but there are some surprisingly vehement, passionate moments, especially on "Down with All Those Who Do Not Believe in Us".

Anyway, it's a winner. I wonder if any more tapes of the tour will be released--would be interesting to hear further stops on the tour. (There is of course The Bishop's Move, the two-trio encounter; haven't heard it yet.)

[MRS]

Great recording. . .don't let the omnipresence of the respective performers (well, Evan and Alex) ward you off.

More than any other exponent (even though I do dig the alignment here, Nate), I hear Waldron all over and throughout much of Schweizer's playing.

[Nate Dorward]

Hm, hadn't noticed a Waldron-Irene Schweitzer connection--though I remember her saying that she used to be a Horace Silver nut!

Anyway, the Psi set is really good. My only complaint would be that they should have eased back the soprano a notch on disc 1 (it's noticeably louder than the tenor). Otherwise acoustically it's very good.

[SilentKnowledge]

I really want to hear this disc!

[ericmelton]

I had a chance to see this group when they came through Chicago last summer. Although they can certainly play together like nobody's business, I would have much preferred to have Lovens in the place of Lytton or Guy in the place of Schlippenbach. To me, and apparantly to Parker and the rest, the players from the two longer-established trios sound and in some ways work better together.

[LeMo]

Originally Posted by Nate Dorward

AVS's piano at times sounds strongly like a sped-up version of mid-1970s Mal Waldron.

Funny. You hear (a "speed-up") Waldron and I hear Tristano here.
Most of the critics I've read hear, like usual, the "traditionnal" Monkish influence.

[Steve Reynolds]

have not heard this but what lemo says makes sense - I also hear Tristano in Alex's playing - more than Monk, Waldron or Cecil

[Nate Dorward]

Hm, well, your call, but I specifically had in mind AVS's use of quartal chords slipping up & down the keyboard, which is a technique Waldron developed in his "free" period. I'm sure Schlippenbach must know Waldron well--Waldron was based in Germany, they both recorded for Enja, &c.

[baksheesh]

Originally Posted by Nate Dorward

A 2CD set on Psi from last year's tour--dates from New Orleans and Seattle. Pretty strong stuff, & I think this strikes a nice balance: though the musical languages are now familiar & are present & correct, they never sound set in stone (an accusation often levelled at latterday Evan Parker). It's not strikingly "innovative" but it has a capacity to surprise--even the mandatory soprano solo (on disc disc), though the first 6 minutes or so are predictable, ends up deflected into fresh terrain. (I've often regretted that Parker reserves his most interesting twirls & arabesques for pat concluding formulae--when he thins out the texture & starts into one of them you know he's going to wind things up within the next 30 seconds. Here, though he explores one for the last 3 minutes of the piece, & it's quite invigorating.) There's a lot more jazz here than usual for an EP disc--little riffs, moments of tonally centered improvisation, &c. There's even a kind of funky "I Feel Good" riff roundabouts 13 minutes into disc 1 for instance that's more Maceo than Evan. And AVS's piano at times sounds strongly like a sped-up version of mid-1970s Mal Waldron--lots of quartal chords shifting up & down the keyboard. I hadn't made the connection before but I would guess Schlippenbach learned something from Waldron (who was of course a German resident). AVS's solo spot starts like a busier version of Ran Blake. -- I can't help thinking of the disc as a Schlippenbach trio disc with a different drummer, even though it's AVS who was a last-minute replacement for Barry Guy; in any case, Lytton's a marvel as always--a favourite moment is the strange World Musicky percussion+prepared piano on "Perhaps This Was His Choice". Evan's sometimes a bit inscrutable, but there are some surprisingly vehement, passionate moments, especially on "Down with All Those Who Do Not Believe in Us".

Anyway, it's a winner. I wonder if any more tapes of the tour will be released--would be interesting to hear further stops on the tour. (There is of course The Bishop's Move, the two-trio encounter; haven't heard it yet.)

Great review and I thoroughly second the wish to hear more from this tour. Imagine what treasures a raid on the label's vaults would procure! I could listen to Alex and Evan play for ever, whoever the drummer is!
It is truly one of my great regrets that there isn't the slightest hope in hell that these guys will ever come to Galway. I'd travel to England to see them now that the exchange rates are more favourable (it's an ill wind etc.) but the logistics involved are quite complex, alas!
Listening to After Appleby as I type these words - the long track on disc 2, they've hit their stride, and really it is marvellous stuff. Crispell plays her ass off, and it makes me regret that she's so poorly registered on so many of the classic Braxton Quartet recordings.
Great, great group, I fervently hope they get together again sometime.