专辑简介

by Steven Loewy Jack Wright and Bob Marsh share the distinction of consistently recording quality albums of radically free improvisation that attract extremely small, but intensely devoted followings. Although living in different parts of the country at the time these tracks were recorded, the two started performing together in 1986, and have since often crossed paths at festivals and clubs. So it would only be natural to expect this joint venture to produce something of special value. Unfortunately, while there is sometimes interesting interaction between the two, they often meander, seemingly going in different directions, almost as if they were playing independently of one another. Each soloist follows exasperatingly individualistic paths that incorporate unique perspectives, each pursuing primitive DuBuffet -esque approaches that disassociate them from clichés or predetermined patterns. While Wright, in particular, incorporates some jazz influences, mostly this is free improvisation in its purest form, with each note springing forth from an almost blank slate. The recording captures Wright and Marsh live, with two tracks each from three separate gigs, for each of which Wright plays a different horn. He seems most comfortable on alto sax ( "Birds in the Hand" and "Magpie Pie"), and on soprano sax ("Plight of the Mocking Birds" and "Doublefisted Cat-napper"), but his slap-tonguing and jagged thrusts on contra-alto clarinet on "Tweet-tweet, Twitter-twitter-squawk" and the later recorded "When Pigs Fly" are also impressive. Marsh plays second fiddle, though his unique acerbic forays for which he is known are always in evidence.