Home » Jazz Musicians » Ivo Perelman

Ivo Perelman

The natural affinity of music and visual art has rarely ever been expressed as vividly as in the visual imagery created by noted jazz saxophonist, Ivo Perelman. Born 12/01/1961 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he came to the United States in 1981 to pursue a musical career.

He has performed to great acclaim in jazz festivals and concerts around the world and has recorded 26 CDs. His music, a unique form of free jazz, translates itself into the striking Abstract Expressionism of his painted imagery. Just as his music evolves out of his liberation from musical convention, his imagery dispenses with traditional artistic conventions and expresses the raw energy which creates each painting. The intense flows and abrupt breaks of sound which emerge from his saxophone are reborn as zigzagging lines of color, splashed on canvas.

Some of his paintings are full of agitated energy, while others are more lyrical, creating a visual moment of near silence. Instead of working from a preconceived artistic idea, Perelman lets the flowing, skittering, dancing paint lead him on. Each painting is like a performance, a set of actions in time which can happen in that particular way only once, embodying the sound of his music through the stroke of the paint brush. The notes become vibrant colors and the rhythm transcends into shape. He passionately unravels the most vivid emotions, whether playing the saxophone or approaching the canvas. There are no limits or restraints as his method of expression relies not on planning but solely on the flow of feelings. His desire for painting stems from the depths of his soul with the ardent yearnings.

Although largely known for his playing of the tenor saxophone, Perelman also plays piano, clarinet, cello and recorder and is a trained classical guitar player. Perelman made an immediate impression with his 1989 debut Ivo, and his subsequent work has continued to justify his critical status as one of the most important and distinctive tenor saxophone voices of recent years. His vigorous performing style has brought comparisons with John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, David Murray and, perhaps inevitably, Gato Barbieri.

An air of invigorating fun surrounds some of Perelman's music, especially when working with Latin-tinged material. Elsewhere, his enthusiasm seems at times to overwhelm his surroundings and it takes equally dominant musicians to contain him and, as a result, raise the standards of performances to sometimes breathtaking heights. Perelman has worked with players including, Paul Bley, Don Pullen, Joanne Brackeen, Geri Allen, Matthew Shipp, Eliane Elias, Rashied Ali, Billy Hart, Andrew Cyrille, Jay Rosen, Ramon Lopez, Peter Erskine, Airto Moreira, Mino Cinelu, Flora Purim, Nana Vasconcelos, Reggie Workman, Dominic Duval, Paul Rodgers, John Patitucci, William Parker, Louis Sclavis and Elton Dean.

Tags

10
Album Review

Ivo Perelman: Armageddon Flower

Read "Armageddon Flower" reviewed by John Sharpe


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 ...

4
Album Review

Ivo Perelman: Armageddon Flower

Read "Armageddon Flower" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


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.

13
Album Review

Ivo Perelman & Tyshawn Sorey: Parallel Aesthethics

Read "Parallel Aesthethics" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


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 ...

12
Album Review

Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp String Trio: Armageddon Flower

Read "Armageddon Flower" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


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 ...

14
Album Review

Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp String Trio: Armageddon Flower

Read "Armageddon Flower" reviewed by Mark Corroto


Imagine our earliest ancestors huddled deep inside a cave, safe from the howling wind and stalking predators outside. A fire flickers at the center, casting erratic shadows onto the jagged walls. Among the tribe, someone watches those shadows--not with fear, but with imagination. Perhaps they see, in the dancing silhouettes, the outlines of animals hunted earlier that day. This individual reaches out, dips a crude brush in pigment and begins to trace the forms on stone. In that moment, a ...

3
Radio & Podcasts

New Releases, Record Store Day Specials, And Ivo Perelman On Leo Records

Read "New Releases, Record Store Day Specials, And Ivo Perelman On Leo Records" reviewed by Bob Osborne


This show includes many new releases and lots of those are self produced demonstrating the healthy state of independent music production in the industry. There is some classic jazz meets rock from over 20 years ago plus three outstanding live albums from Resonance Records for Record Store Day 2025. In addition with the planned release of a massive collection of the work of Ivo Perelman on Leo Records I begin a month long exploration of his work.Playlist Show ...

3
Album Review

Ivo Perelman São Paulo Creative 4: Supernova

Read "Supernova" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian


On the imaginative Supernova intrepid saxophonist Ivo Perelman joins forces with three of his countrymen for a stimulating set of spontaneous music. The quartet calls itself the São Paulo Creative 4 and performs a seven-part suite that draws inspiration from celestial phenomena. The seamless flow of ideas from one reed player to the other and from one track to the next gives the album its thematic unity. The opening track, “White Dwarf," starts with a bluesy dirge that ...

Read more articles
Recording

Free Jazz Tenor Sax Titan Ivo Perelman Joins Joe Morris & Balazs Pandi On Provocative Improv Outing "One"

Free Jazz Tenor Sax Titan Ivo Perelman Joins Joe Morris & Balazs Pandi On Provocative Improv Outing "One"

Source: hubtone PR

IVO PERELMAN - tenor sax JOE MORRIS - electric bass Balazs Pandi - drums AVAILABLE IN STORES AND ONLINE OCTOBER 1ST, 2013 AND THROUGH RARE NOISE RECORDS ON CD, VINYL AND HI-RES DIGITAL DOWNLOAD. One brings together the potent forces of Brazilian tenor saxophonist and prolific free jazz icon Ivo Perelman, veteran bassist-guitarist Joe Morris (a ubiquitous figure on the avant-garde jazz scene, making his recorded debut on electric bass guitar here) and Hungarian hardcore drummer ...

128
Recording

Ivo Perelman - The Hour of the Star (Leo Records, 2011)

Ivo Perelman - The Hour of the Star (Leo Records, 2011)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland

South American saxophonist Perelman has been a fixture on the free jazz scene for decades now, recording albums in a variety of musical combinations for a variety of record labels. This is the best one of his I have heard, he is in rare form and the band is absolutely stellar: Matthew Shipp on piano, Joe Morris on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. The quartet setting suits the music perfectly as it sits on the nexus of modern jazz ...

87
Recording

Ivo Perelman Quartet - The Hour of the Star (2011)

Ivo Perelman Quartet - The Hour of the Star (2011)

Source: Something Else!

Sao Paulo-born tenor man Ivo Perelman assembles a whack jazz quartet that rivals in star power to the foursome David S. Ware recently assembled with William Parker, Cooper-Moore and Muhammad Ali. But Perelman's six improvised performances with Matthew Shipp (piano), Joe Morris (acoustic bass) and Gerald Cleaver (drums) come off much better. With this being free jazz, it's often hard to pinpoint why, but perhaps Perelman found a more inspired combination that day. It certainly sounds that way on the ...

247
Recording

Prolific Saxophonist/Composer Ivo Perelman Celebrates 20 Year Career with Eight New Releases

Prolific Saxophonist/Composer Ivo Perelman Celebrates 20 Year Career with Eight New Releases

Source: DL Media

Prolific Saxophonist/Composer Ivo Perelman Celebrates 20 Year Career With Eight New Releases “...an entire new school of jazz..., unique genius..."Gunther Schuller, composer, conductor, jazz historian “...a sound as passionately effusive as Ivo Perelman's is at once original, uncommon, and undeniable." --All About Jazz“One of the most distinctive and imposing tenor sax voices to come along in years."--DownBeatThe 20th year of saxophonist Ivo Perelman's prodigious career ...

95
Performance / Tour

Ivo Perelman & Dominic Duval in Philadelphia on 12/20/07 - Free

Ivo Perelman & Dominic Duval in Philadelphia on 12/20/07 - Free

Source: All About Jazz

Thursday, December 20 | 8pm Ivo Perelman, saxophone Dominic Duval, double-bass Free The Rotunda 4014 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 Ivo Perlman is best known for performing in a heavily distorted, abstract-expressionist vein first tapped in the '60s by the late Albert Ayler. His first album, Ivo (K2B2, 1989), featured an all-star cast that included drummer Peter Erskine, bassist John Patitucci, percussionist ...

121
Performance / Tour

Ivo Perelman Quartet CD Release Show May 21 in NYC

Ivo Perelman Quartet CD Release Show May 21 in NYC

Source: All About Jazz


108
Music Industry

IVO PERELMAN, TENOR SAXOPHONIST AND UNBRIDLED IMPROVISER, RELEASES TWO NEW ALBUMS -- THE EYE LISTENS, A TRIO DATE, AND THE HAMMER, A SERIES OF DUETS WITH DRUMMER JAY ROSEN

IVO PERELMAN, TENOR SAXOPHONIST AND UNBRIDLED IMPROVISER, RELEASES TWO NEW ALBUMS -- THE EYE LISTENS, A TRIO DATE, AND THE HAMMER, A SERIES OF DUETS WITH DRUMMER JAY ROSEN

Source: All About Jazz

Masterful and daring improviser Ivo Perelman, a musician Bill Milkowski called in Down Beat “one of the most distinctive and imposing tenor sax voices to come along in years," has released two new albums that exemplify the remarkable scope of his powers: The Eye Listens, a trio date on Boxholder Records, and The Hammer from Leo Records, on which he is paired with drummer Jay Rosen.

Joined on The Eye Listens by two other hyper-kinetic improvisers--bassist Wilbur Morris and drummer ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Parallel Aesthethics

Fundacja Sluchaj
2025

buy

Live in Carrboro

Soul City Sounds
2024

buy

Seven Skies Orchestra

Fundacja Sluchaj
2024

buy

Embracing the Unknown

Mahakala Music
2024

buy

Truth Seeker

Self Produced
2024

buy

Armageddon Flower

From: Armageddon Flower
By Ivo Perelman

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.