Long Bright Summer [CD]

Evan Parker & Joelle Leandre - Long Bright Summer [CD]

"Supported by experience and mastery of their instruments, Parker and Léandre work together through acute listening and lightning-quick communication. Eight tracks, as different from one another as they are coherent as a whole. Without a net or chance for revision, the pair dive right into the heart of the dialogue. Parker reacts with spontaneous simplicity - to borrow a title from Sun Ra & his Arkestra -- to the impulses and suggestions of the bassist, who initially favors tense and haughty arco playing. At times, listeners get closer to the fibber of the sounds, alternatively granular and silky, and on a more reflective piece, Parker's swirling motifs land on Léandre's long-held notes in the low register. Extended techniques are used on the central and longest improvisation, Parker again reacting without delay to his partner's thunderous strikes on the strings. The artists are in a trance, connected to each other and to the music, soaring in full flight. In yet another direction, the last piece has Léandre adding mostly wordless vocals to her bass playing, as she likes to do in her solo work, an example of which can be seen in Christian Pouget's Duende - Joëlle Léandre solo 2023 film. With Parker's comments on tenor, the duo becomes a trio."