Currently in a prolific phase of record releases, versatile reedist Udo Schindler keeps his followers informed via a sequence of high-principled collaborations with artists equally attentive to the technical and animistic development of their instrument. In this respect bassist Paul Rogers, whose CV speaks for itself, has famously concentrated his acoustic research on a specifically designed 7-string model. Such vibrational abundance results in greater sonic intensity as well as deeper harmonic relevance. The juxtaposition of characteristics yields purposeful improvisational endeavours, of which Ephemeral Locations — recorded in Munich in 2023 — is an interesting compendium. There is another identically titled outing by the duo, released by Fundacja Słuchaj. However, it is a double CD and contains different material from this one.
Schindler employs diverse tools for the same quest, constructing a logical praxis inside the mix of perspicacity and fleeting impressions that defines the mind of a constraint-free musician. Whether through clarinets, saxophones or cornet, his sound remains unambiguous even in the most transcendental labyrinths, and intimately lyrical when the airspace permits. Rogers, who obviously operates in lower registers, is an authority on the resonant capacity of his bass, from which he draws — by bowing or plucking — unreal imagery, more organized stabilities and herds of overtones whose brightness varies according to the force of his touch. Moving across perturbed serenity and moderate agitation, Rogers provides the listeners with an expanded assortment of idiosyncrasies to ponder, and perhaps respond to (not to mention the commendable reciprocity with his partner).
It would be silly to state that everything in this set flows as one. Indeed, sections exist where there's more of a parallelism of soliloquies than a true spiritual symmetry; in these circumstances, concentration must be pushed to the utmost in order to apply "evolved stereophony" to our perceptual systems, scrupulously considering what each of the two instrumentalists needs to express in a given circumstance. And yet the bulk of the dialogue is intense, still accurate in instances of vehement bursts, and thus rewarding both externally and subliminally. Schindler and Rogers' professionalism and executive acuity reflect decades of instrumental cognizance, and a lifetime of emancipation from the formalisms of habit-based sterile music.
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