NY violinist Mark Feldman, an intensely active musician in improvisation and contemporary composition, and Spanish drummer Ramon Lopez, active with an impressive list of jazz masters including Barry Guy and The Turbine!, join together in the studio for the seven-part improvisation "Trappist-1", a virtuosic intertwining from introspective to exuberantly energetic.
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2019 Country: USA Packaging: Digipack Recorded at Park West Studios in Brooklyn, New York, on December 18th, 2017, by Jim Clouse.
NY violinist Mark Feldman, an intensely active musician in improvisation and contemporary composition, and Spanish drummer Ramon Lopez, active with an impressive list of jazz masters including Barry Guy and The Turbine!, join together in the studio for the seven-part improvisation "Trappist-1". The piece is divided by alphabetic series "1b", "1c", &c., and each piece takes a different approach to their interaction, generally active but not histrionic, ranging from introspective work to highly energetic. Lopez's rhythms rarely settle into a groove, yet his foundation is kinetically tight and his logic solid. Feldman uses that assuredness for enthusiastic and melodic investigations, often urged on by Lopez' playing, at times contrasting in long tones or incredible glissandi. Both share composer credit, so the assumption is that this is collective improvisation, and of an extremely advanced level. Recorded in the Park West Studio, home of a significant number of Tzadik releases, the sound is pristine, catching the nuance of both player's stunning work.
One last comment: Wikipedia defines Trappist-1 as "TRAPPIST-1, also designated 2MASS J23062928-0502285, is an ultra-cool red dwarf star that is slightly larger, but much more massive, than the planet Jupiter; it is located 39.6 light-years (12.1 pc) from the Sun in the constellation Aquarius. Seven temperate terrestrial planets have been detected orbiting the star, a larger number than detected in any other planetary system.". There is no reference to this solar system in the CD case or any editorial text, but there are seven improvisations, which may refer to each of the planets.