Evan Parker & Ingebrigt Haker Flaten : The Brewery Tap
Cooper P. Diers | Madison, WI USA | 11/06/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Apparently, this release has seen little in the way of almost any attention via word of mouth, press, or media. The Smalltown Superjazz website (the Nordic label that released this album) doesn't even mention anything about it. (though, my sneaking suspicion is it might have something to do with the continental divide, so us USAer's are getting shorted on the latest and greatest from, in my opinion, a very hip label... maybe they just have different priorities; guess I can't really say...) This anecdote serves very little, but for its segue into all that being very unfortunate because this is a very pleasant record. Evan Parker, whom I have limited knowledge on, is a reeds guy; primarily known for his saxophone work and a technique he's quite good at - circular breathing. He played with Peter Brotzmann in a few incarnations and has made a serious name for himself in free and modern creative music circles. Ingebrigt Haker Flaten is a bass player, who like Nate McBride (a chicagoan and Vandermark sidekick) is exceptionally able at both contra and electric bass. For this recording, he keeps it upright like another group he's in (The Thing; which is where I became familiar with his work). Together, one may begin to form the impression that this record would be a blowing session for Parker to squawk and squeal while snippets of elastic vibrations making indefinite pitches came off as accidental. HOWEVER, this is not the case. For all that is said about free music (which, I suppose isn't that much, compared to any number of other things), this release has almost none of the stereotypical frantic, constant-peak-energy. Instead, you get two extremely sympathetic players, who have become so abstracted as players they elude categorization, and concoct a playful dialogue for weaving lines and undiluted thought flow. While I agree that three is the magic number when it comes to the full potency of musical ideas, this dyad interacts at a sophisticated level that makes you forget about other numbers. Words like delightful and charming wouldn't be the first words that come to mind when referencing free improvisation, but this opens up the palette to something that is really more than that and more than jazz. I suppose it wouldn't be unfair to make parallels to some type of chamber music. But, this is a potent brew, to play with the title a bit. Also to note- (I'm not usually one to point out markers, that's for listeners to find and obtain for themselves) but the last few minutes of "Fuggles" - the second/middle piece has this great bass line that brought quite a smile to this face."
Track Listings (3) - Disc #1