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Evan Parker/ Matthew Shipp: Rex, Wrecks & XXX
ByNo surprise then that Rex, Wrecks & XXX, comprising two discs, one recorded in the studio and the other live (at London's Vortex) the following day, documents a spontaneous dialogue of the highest order. Deep listening underpins the congruency of pacing and dynamics, and even sometimes phrasing, making for a more harmonious pairing than the avant-garde reputations might suggest. Both Shipp and Parker work in a syntax of repeated motifs and sonic cells, which themselves prompt further rejoinders in a process of continual calibration. They don't settle on any particular mode of expression for more than a few minutes, but at times become surprisingly reflective, as an air of abstract lyricism pervades both sessions, perhaps most prevalent in the concert setting.
Shipp is the more likely to lock into nagging patterns which furnish the substructure, although he leavens the repetition with delicate prancing sweetness as well as unpredictable outbursts of thunderous tumult. Parker restricts himself to tenor saxophone throughout (his jazzier horn), although he reins in the split toned dissonance for which he is so well known, in favor of a mellow considered output. Of course there are passages where the Englishman's guttural machine-gun delivery begets a rapidfire rhythmic response from Shipp, but they occur as occasional peaks not expansive plateaus. Unaccompanied features for each transpire both in the studio and live, and while they provide a welcome contrast, they do not reveal anything not already known. The eight studio cuts allow greater opportunity for concision and structure than the unbroken live set, notably on "Rex 5" which alternates piano and tenor, as they conjure a golden thread, each picking up where the other left off. The ghost of Thelonious Monk stalks proceedings when Parker touches on the interval of "Shuffle Boil" and Shipp responds almost in kind. Mercurial, playful discourse which erases boundaries, real or imagined.
Track Listing
Rex 1; Rex 2; Wrecks 1; Rex 3; Wrecks 2; Rex 4; Rex 5; Rex 6; XXX.
Personnel
Matthew Shipp: piano; Evan Parker: tenor saxophone.
Album information
Title: Rex, Wrecks & XXX | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Rogue Art
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Rex, Wrecks & XXX