This is one of the strongest records to come out in the last few years. What strikes me hardest on “Breath” is Agusti Fernandez, who can really take your breath away, and proves that he’s one of the most vital, original and powerful improvisers on the scene. No discredit should go to Don Malfon though, who contributes very original sounds and is co-creating the extremely interesting interplay that is what this music is all about.
This record consists of one improvised piece that’s about 29 minutes long. To play a piece that long and keep the listeners intrigued all the way, is something not all improvisers can do. This duo succeeds in that challenge. Having said that, it’s also true that 29 minutes is shorter than the average full album. To me, this is a perfect length. It takes you on an extended journey, and yet leaves you wanting more. In fact, after it was over I could hardly believe that it was as long as it was. Time really flew by.
The piece starts off in high energy, quick moving events and shifting phrases and material. What immediately strikes you are the unusual sounds coming from both of them. It shifts, different dynamic layers appear and disappear. This first section is remarkable because although it’s very dense in information and different changes in direction, it still manages to have a kind of transparancy. The ears don’t get tired from all the activity. Nothing becomes muddy, all the details are heard. This kind of playing can only come from a duo which have enormous ears, who hear all the details, who listen very closely to each other and who have perfected the art of their own material, and how to vary it dynamically. This beginning section of the piece is also not a kind of climax. The energetic moments of this whole record also have a restrictive element. It’s never about “pouring everything out”, but to build suspense, to build intrigue. It’s music which suggests that a climax will come, but doesn’t give it to you. It teases, makes you anticipate every next move.
The two musicians are behaving in different ways from each other. Malfon tends to go into more “loopy” areas at times, which acts as a sort of stabilising counter-element to the sneaky, teasing, aggressive actions of Fernandez. They both have in common the ability to leave the other person to play solo for a while. Their playing styles are different, but they’re both so flexible in their material, and perhaps more importantly in their attitudes, that they make it work. The action-heavy, suspenseful, rumbling piano is communicating a totally different energy than the saxophone. Malfon seems to be always in a sort of block (a term perhaps most clearly understood by listening to the playing style of Axel Dörner). Even the more melodic, fragmented or linear movements seem to be part of such a block. The piano actions are more of a free flowing, linear character.
The timing of the various degrees of intensity is pure poetry. You feel as if you’re riding on waves. You get swept up, swirled around, left floating and then swirled around again. After it’s over, you look back on the journey and feel completed. You’ve been told a powerful story by masters who have big ears and big hearts.
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