Home » Jazz Articles » Multiple Reviews » The Art of the Duo?
The Art of the Duo?
Peter Brötzmann and Paul G. Smyth Tongue in a Bell
Weekertoft
2020
Exquisitely recorded in concert at the Kevin Barry Room, National Concert Hall, Dublin, in January 2015, Tongue in a Bell comprises three tracks running for a total of just under forty-one minutes. At twenty-five minutes, the title track accounts for most of the album, with the two shorter tracks adding variety, being far more than makeweights or filler. Right from the start, both players are full-on, fluently playing flat out, each in their own instantly recognisable, distinctive style. Of course, Brötzmann's energy and force are renowned, but Smyth impressively matches him every step of the way.
In their hands, the art of the duo means each player should be true to their own way of playing whilst remaining attentive to and mindful of what the other is playing; in other words, it is based on co-operation between equals rather than competition. In practice, each of them occasionally plays a solo while the other shifts down a gear, remaining identifiable. These solo spots often provide opportunities to hear and appreciate the players' more intimate and reflective sides—less energized but just as impressive. However, in a blindfold listening, anyone familiar with Brötzmann and Smyth would have no problem identifying either of them from this excellent recording. As a duo, this works well.
Cath Roberts and Alex Bonney Live at HYG
Open Ear Music
2020
Recorded live at London's intimate Hundred Years Gallery (the HYG of the title) on Valentine's Day 2020, this album consists of one thirty-minute track, presumably the entire set. In a duo of Cath Roberts' baritone saxophone and Alex Bonney's pocket trumpet, Bonney also plays electronics, which explains the distorted sounds which open the album and recur at intervals throughout it. These sounds may have worked well in the live setting, where audience members could see how Bonney was producing them, but on a duo recording they can make it sound as if a third party is contributing or there are technical issues. This is unfortunate as the combination of sounds from sax and trumpet is a success, the two having mastered the art of the duo.
Their tonal and pitch differences mean that both can be clearly heard throughout, important as they weave around each other for much of the time, becoming entwined. Roberts and Bonney sound familiar with one another's playing and comfortable together, giving each other plenty of space. The music here is improvised, with the two reacting to one another to produce a pleasingly coherent whole. The electronics never feel like an integral part of that whole, more like a bolted-on extra, particularly as they are not used to process the sounds of the horns. Roberts and Bonney have the potential to be a first-rate improvising duo if they can sort out what to do about those pesky electronics...
Tracks and Personnel
Tongue in a BellTracks: Tongue in a Bell; Falling Out of All the Towers of Space; Eyes Wide.
Personnel: Peter Brötzmann: reeds; Paul G. Smyth: piano.
Live at HYG
Tracks: Live at HYG
Personnel: Cath Roberts: baritone saxophone; Alex Bonney: pocket trumpet, electronics.
Tags
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
