Jazz Articles about Ivo Perelman

About Ivo Perelman

Album Review

Ivo Perelman and Wadada Leo Smith: Duologues 5

Read "Duologues 5" reviewed by Don Phipps

by Don Phipps
January 20, 2026

In the decade of the 2020s, the prolific tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman has recorded several improvised duet recordings with such jazz luminaries as trumpeter Nate Wooley, trombonist Ray Anderson, drummer/pianist Tyshawn Sorey, fellow tenor saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, drummer Tom Rainey, and pianist Matthew Shipp. Even more incredible is that over the same timeframe, he has done several group improv recordings--for example, a trio with bassist Barry Guy and drummer Ramón López, a quartet with saxophonist Chad Fowler, bassist Reggie Workman, ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman/Nate Wooley: Polarity 4

Read "Polarity 4" reviewed by Don Phipps

by Don Phipps
January 19, 2026

On Polarity 4, their fourth album of collaborative improvisations, tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman and trumpeter Nate Wooley create a diverse array of soundscapes. The spontaneous compositions exhibit fluid, arcing energy that skips around like a hummingbird darting towards clusters of brightly colored rhododendron blooms. Both musicians demonstrate their trademark virtuosity: Perelman with his supreme embouchure control, and Wooley with his diverse and challenging mouthpiece manipulations. The album consists of nine improvisations--each consisting of unique twists and turns and ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Matt Moran, Mark Helias, Tom Rainey: A Modicum Of The Blues

Read "A Modicum Of The Blues" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
December 16, 2025

An intrepid and groundbreaking saxophonist, Ivo Perelman excels in the company of like-minded artists. Thus, the majority of his work is either in duos or with small ensembles. The soulful A Modicum of the Blues is an entirely improvised five-movement suite featuring a quintet of long-standing collaborators. It is a masterful blend of fiery spontaneity and contemplative quietude enveloped in a cinematic ambience. “Part 1" opens with dramatic flair as the musicians alternate brief phrases interspersed with silent ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman: Armageddon Flower

Read "Armageddon Flower" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
August 8, 2025

Pianist Matthew Shipp serves as the fulcrum of Armageddon Flower, a riveting quartet date that unites two longstanding units: the duo with tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman, and his String Trio with violist Mat Maneri and bassist William Parker. However, no-one is confined by past roles. Each of these four players has collaborated in multiple configurations over the last three decades. So four known quantities perhaps, but the familiarity here breeds neither complacency nor predictability. What emerges is a daring, combustible ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman: Armageddon Flower

Read "Armageddon Flower" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
July 29, 2025

Ekphrastic by design, Armageddon Flower, the forty-seventh bold, forward-thinking testament pairing saxophonist Ivo Perelman and pianist Matthew Shipp is the duo's new zenith in a tireless exploration dating back nearly thirty years. It is another view from the pinnacle of their brotherhood that includes such watermark recordings as the symbiotic Live In Nuremberg (SMP, 2019), Fruition (ESP, 2022), Magical Incantations (Soul City Sounds, 2024) and the fanciful, Brazilian flavored Bendito of Santa Cruz (Cadence, 1996) which started it all.

Album Review

Ivo Perelman & Tyshawn Sorey: Parallel Aesthethics

Read "Parallel Aesthethics" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
June 5, 2025

Saxophonist Ivo Perelman and drummer/pianist Tyshawn Sorey are two of the most imaginative improvisers on the creative music scene. Perelman, who thrives in small groups, particularly duets, is as prolific as he is innovative. Meanwhile, the versatile Sorey, who also composes, is a consummate experimenter who successfully embraces diverse styles. This meeting of brilliant minds results in the superb Parallel Aesthetics, a two-disc set of spontaneous musical conversations. The overall ambience is expectant and the exchanges vary from ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp String Trio: Armageddon Flower

Read "Armageddon Flower" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
June 3, 2025

Saxophonist Ivo Perelman's albums come at us relentlessly. He is prolific. Multiple albums per year is his norm. His approach is, more often than not, sound and fury, signifying... what? It is hard to say. Of his Armageddon Flower he says: “Listening to this music is akin to reading the Book of Revelations in the Bible." Armageddon Flowers sounds like a search for truth, a deep quest for Rama or the Holy Ghost, the workings of the intricacies ...