Martin Archer & Walt Shaw: Biyartabiyu

Will the real Martin Archer stand up? The head honcho of the Sheffield-located Discus imprint appears in such a variety of guises that one never quite knows what to expect from his name on the sleeve. However, as the press materials make clear, this unadorned saxophone and drum duo finds Archer in his natural habitat, channeling influences derived from the early releases of Chicago's AACM in an equation he defines as blues + abstraction. That sums it up nicely, although anyone hoping to occasionally tap along to the changes over twelve bars will be disappointed.

Nonetheless, in Archer's hands the combination proves an attractive proposition, as poised phrases and willful distortions vie with brief passages which possess an innate swing. Even so, his partner in crime, Derby-based drummer Walt Shaw avoids a regular beat in favor of a stream of percussive flurries, like a latterday Tony Oxley, in which metallic clatter and plump tympani-like resonances are prominent. The sole compositional gambit is Archer's decision to play a different horn on each piece. Otherwise, although clearly responsive, the pair's dialogues are oblique. While both utilize repeated patterns, it is rarely at the same time.

On alto Archer recalls Roscoe Mitchell's seminal Sound (Delmark,1966) on "Daya," and even more so with sopranino uncased on the spare "Biyu." He waxes his jazziest on tenor, in the conversational "Uku ," enticing Shaw into spurts of disjointed rhythm. The balance also tilts slightly more toward the blues side of the equation on the remaining two cuts. Plosive baritone bursts at the outset of "Hudu" draw an answering stutter from Shaw in one of the few examples of a direct rejoinder, before a series of considered exchanges that range from dancing to skittering. Archer wields saxello (like a slightly curved soprano) for the final "Biyar," coming on airy but with a throaty twang, as Shaw evokes first-hand drums and then more abrasive textures.

Such intrepid and empathetic performances make for an exhilarating and enjoyable trip. Perhaps it is one that Archer should take more often.