Recorded in 1992 in Massachusetts, this pairing of veteran saxophonist and composer Oliver Lake and composer and pianist Donal Fox, which is completely impromptu, is a work of real pleasure to listen to. What is happening on the bandstand between these two is extemporaneous composition and deep listening, extemporaneous because there is great humor and warmth in the way formal compositions -- such as Lake's "Coumous" -- are turned around and worked out to suit whatever mood strikes the pair's fancy. There are a few of Fox' ...
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Recorded in 1992 in Massachusetts, this pairing of veteran saxophonist and composer Oliver Lake and composer and pianist Donal Fox, which is completely impromptu, is a work of real pleasure to listen to. What is happening on the bandstand between these two is extemporaneous composition and deep listening, extemporaneous because there is great humor and warmth in the way formal compositions -- such as Lake's "Coumous" -- are turned around and worked out to suit whatever mood strikes the pair's fancy. There are a few of Fox' more classically oriented compositions here too, such as "Variations on a Theme by Monk" with its quotations from "'Round Midnight" and others, to his longer, intricate exercise in spatial harmonics, "Suite in Three Movements." Lake's contributions certainly include his "Sarah," with its languid drooping lines that entangle the harmonics in a weave before setting them all free in one interval, and his "No V.T.," where he strikes a rich balance between the vanguard, the blues, and the origins of swing. The only problem with the whole set is the closer, a stilted read of "Rhythm-A-Ning" by Monk. It doesn't get to the funk because of its formal intentions. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
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