Colin Fisher / Mike Gennaro: Tactile Stories

Does the world need another free jazz duo recording? Absolutely not, unless (dammit) it is as intoxicating as Tactile Stories by the Canadian duo of Colin Fisher and Mike Gennaro. Fisher's talents are spread across both the saxophone, which he hoists for three tracks, and electric guitar heard on the final "Epinoia." Elsewhere, he can be heard in multiple contexts from free improvisation to post-punk rock, recording with the likes of Anthony Braxton, Rhys Chatham, Joe McPhee, and Nick Millevoi. His quartet with Daniel Carter, Brandon Lopez, and Marc Edwards released Living Midnight (Astral Spirits, 2019).

Drummer Mike Gennaro was introduced to listeners with Port Huron Picnic (Spool, 2000) a session with Mats Gustafsson and Kurt Newman. He has since recorded with clarinetist Alex Ward and performed with saxophonist John Butcher. Fisher and Gennaro have collaborated for more than 20 years and Tactile Stories follows their previous release Sine Qua Non (Arachnidiscs, 2014).

The key to free jazz is the requirement that it be spontaneous and yet maintain a balanced flow. "Ex Nihilo" does just that. Fisher's alto saxophone begins spitting out clucking and overblown notes against a backdrop of Gennaro's barrage of beats. For reference sake, think of Chris Pitsiokos and Weasel Walter or Paal Nilssen-Love. Even as they shift from their energy jazz approach into quieter passages, this duo maintains a compatible and balanced sound throughout. As the opening track develops, the drums pause and Fisher switches to his soprano saxophone for a mini tribute to Evan Parker's circular methodology. Gennaro's drumming is quite elastic, as he employs a paradoxical abundance of notes that mostly sound sparse. His approach is a kind of scattered restraint. The duo's cryptic blues "Ekstasis" is followed by a cascading ride that is "Esse." Even though this is an improvised free jazz recording,

Fisher and Gennaro are of one tenacious mind. Proof positive is the final track "Epinoia" which finds Fisher switching to guitar. The music gets a bit more introspective, yet maintains that copacetic relationship between the two. Impressive stuff here.