Greg Burk / Michel Lambert: Wind Forms

"Music is at its best when it brings the human imagination to light." Pianist Greg Burk wrote these words inside the cover of his 2009 release, Many Worlds (482 Music). Throughout his career, his music has embodied this idea, and Wind Forms is no exception.

That earlier release featured a quartet, including drummer Michel Lambert. On Wind Forms, Burk retains Lambert but shifts to a duo format.

Lambert, a Canadian drummer, is best known for his extensive recordings with fellow Canadian saxophonist and improviser François Carrier. His collaboration with Burk, however, dates back to 1995. Burk, an American-born pianist, studied under Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, and Paul Bley also played extensively in Detroit before settling in Italy. Their most recent projects include Ars Transmutatoria Primati Primi (Jazz Form Rant, 2023), led by Lambert, and Sound Neighbors (Tonos Records, 2021), a trio album featuring bassist Ron Seguin.

Listeners may recognize the piano as a percussive instrument, much like the drums, but in the hands of Burk and Lambert, that perception fades. The duo expands their sonic palette across seven piano-drum improvisations, interspersed with five shorter interludes. They incorporate flutes (washint and suling), the m'bira (a thumb piano), glockenspiel, and hapi drum (or steel drum), adding rich textures and unexpected timbres.

Burk's influences are evident throughout the album. The opener, "Sirocco," evokes the chamber music feel of a Bernard Herrmann film score for an Alfred Hitchcock drama. The title track starts with a Herbie Nichols-inspired touch before shifting into something reminiscent of Chick Corea. This blend of bebop and classical elements creates the perfect space for Lambert's expressive percussion. His use of brushes and finely tuned drum skins allows him to play both rhythmically and melodically. Only on tracks like "Nocturnal Navigation"—which deconstructs George Gershwin—and the energetic "Eurocyldon" does he push back against Burk's weighty sound with a contrasting force.

The five interludes where the duo steps away from their primary instruments are equally compelling. The m'bira-flute piece "Notus" and the m'bira-hapi drum improvisation "Harmattan" are small gems, moments that truly spark the human imagination.

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