Kevin Miller and Dan Blake: At First Light

A serendipitous pairing that first took shape in the early 2020s, guitarist Kevin Miller began meeting regularly with saxophonist Dan Blake for freely improvised sessions that resulted in the tandem developing a highly simpatico vocabulary. At First Light reflects the workings of the duo's distinctive dialogic approach through five spontaneously crafted musical discourses.

Many listeners will already be conversant with Blake, who has a do-it-all resume including post-bop efforts like The Digging (Sunnyside, 2016) and avant-garde chamber works, as on The Dust Moves (Infrequent Seams, 2016), recorded with the Mivos Quartet. This is his first freely improvised recording, and although Miller is a lesser-known quantity than his partner, his convincing technique and robust imagination render him an ideal collaborator on these substantial improvisations.

The opener, "Heliacal," is the album's longest cut at over eleven minutes, and it gives Miller and Blake a chance to settle in for an animated and energetic conversation. Miller utilizes precise, single-note runs with lots of trills, giving his playing a Middle Eastern aspect as Blake's meaty tenor weaves its way alongside and through Miller's ideas in an inviting spirit. The track has its passionate moments, but one never feels the central thread of the music slipping away; both players are too deliberate and patient for that to happen. The conclusion of the track is especially effective, with Miller's chiming plangency letting Blake's final sustained notes softly reverberate to the finish.

The other tracks are more economical in shape, but just as engaging. "Infested" is especially exciting, as Blake turns to his soprano axe and releases a torrent of cascading phrases that Miller complements adroitly, as "Mystic Will" takes the players into more elusive terrain, with abstraction and space giving the music a more tenuous and enigmatic air. "Perilous Sun" is another enticing journey, ranging from gentle ruminations to fervid bursts, yet always within the players' well- established shared language.

At just over 35 minutes in length, the album does feel a bit brief. Miller and Blake have plenty to offer, so one hopes there will be further explorations to come.

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