A Red Sky at night is said to be a sailor's delight, but despite the title of this disc the music contained herein is both calming and menacing, sometimes within the same song � not a stretch perhaps due to the players involved and the duo setting. By now we know what Joe McPhee and Paul Nilssen-Love are capable of, but they still manage to intrigue and inspire.

Opening with tickling percussion and amplified valve action, the music retains a foreboding intent for much of the duration as brushes coax squeaks of barely blown notes out of trumpet (and later sax) that bend into multiphonic-laden phrases. Eventually the duo add volume to the velocity as their ship enters stormier waters, crashing about in a swirling, chaotic sea of dynamic interplay. McPhee's incongruous lines join up to reveal soaring overblown passages until the drums settle into melodic tom work. "Till" opens with fizzing gong-like percussion that turns into a funereal march. The drums have a muted tone similar to Milford Graves' non-resonance and punctuate the mournful sea yarn spun from McPhee's horn. In this context he manages to get a sound close to Ayler in its emotion and weight. Fingers on skins signal the opening of "Peach Melba", which brings the energy back up to gale force levels.

Compact and effective, "Ironman Returns" is an even nastier affair with explosive, poly-rhythmic percussion and loping saxophone melodies not far removed from Coltrane's "Interstellar Space", although I am guessing by the title this could be a tribute to Dolphy. After some seriously fiery discourse the whole thing comes to a screeching climax of cymbal feedback and squalling embouchure workouts. "Come Sunday" finds the duo in calmer seas. The winds briefly whip back up but again recede to a gentle breeze, yet another example of how these two are able to utilize many volumes, tempos, and emotions within a single piece of music. Applause at the closing of the LP reveals this was recorded live which belies its impressive sound quality. This is top-notch improvisation from two generations of uncharted musical explorers.