This seemingly disparate collection of collaborations with Italian percussionist
Andrea Centazzo
is tied together by a common geography and era, an eclectic, quality personnel, and universally high-class music. The first tracks on
Thirty Years from Monday
collect two very different musical conversations between
Centazzo
and electronics wizard
Alvin Curran
.
"An Old Man River in the Georgia of My Mind"
offers jazzy fun, as
Curran
spins some old-time religion on piano, with the percussionist perfectly in synch. The substantially longer
"Mantric Improvisation"
is a very different animal, sounding expansive and static with sounds filtered through two tape recorders, almost as though an entire choir of drunken voices were singing lazily. Toward the end, the talented
pulls out his trumpet, fulfilling the charge. Evidently, these two tracks are the only remaining ones from a successful live concert in Udine, Italy in 1977, and they are the earliest of the tracks on the 12-CD
Ictus Records
30th Anniversary Collection set, of which this album is part. These two tracks are followed by
"The Gypsy Part One"
and
"The Gypsy Part II,"
two electrifying duos between
Carlos Zingaro
, the consummate modern
gypsy
violinist. The two
"Box Sessions"
feature a raw and radical
Lol Coxhill
, the English soprano saxophonist who inspires
by pushing him to extremes, leading to some very loud and exciting drumming that is some of the percussionist's best work on the disc. Those who know
Coxhill
from his later work may be surprised at how straight he sounds at times, and by the strong volume that he achieves. The album ends with two free and introspective
improvisations
by
and Italian reed player
Gianluigi Trovesi
. Recorded in the same month as the duets with
,
"Trovecen #1"
exhibits dynamic, expressive statements from
, whose drumming is filled with euphoria. The closing piece, another duet between
Trovesi
, exhibits an
ambient
, Oriental influence, with
keeping the rhythms flowing while
's flute adds a mystical element. At first blush, this collection of collaborations led by
may appear to be a hodgepodge, but it is tied together by a common geography and era, an eclectic, quality personnel, and some universally high-class music. ~ Steven Loewy