This live set at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival, Slovenia, featuring four pieces presented in two "Episodes" dedicated to Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman is McPhee's first solo release since 2007's Soprano and his eighth since the legendary Tenor/Fallen Angels of 1976. This gives McPhee fans a chance to hear this master of free improvisation in his rawest and purest state and a chance to hear him stretch out on the pocket trumpet — an all too rare occasion.
The first part of the performance, dedicated to Cherry and appropriately titled "Wind," evolves from a softly articulated air column through the trumpet, reminiscent of a breeze, then morphs into a whale-like siren call of sorts, with some bubbling from the play of valves and breath attacks. McPhee takes his time with the 20-minute piece, letting it unfold into being like a flower or a fern frond, taking the listener through the character of the instrument, which includes low guttural pedal tones, rich and buttery middle-register lyricism, the breathy sizzling of the high register, and playful lippy and squeaky sounds the trumpet can beautifully express.
"Water," the second part of the Cherry tribute, brings in more articulate, lyrical and brassy sounds, a fluid sequence of motifs and explosive punctuations. Through several passages of this, McPhee is also singing and growling through the horn, under the playing, making for intriguing multiphonics. One passage is entirely vocal.
The "Episode" devoted to Ornette Coleman is about as long as the first, at 21 minutes, but just breezes by, what with the fiery lines and continual blossoming of ideas expressed via the alto saxophone in two pieces, "Earth/Fire" and "Old Eyes." The first piece is varied in texture, from thin lines of sound to fat blowing of a lyrical and raucous nature. The set ends with a soulful rendition of "Old Eyes," a tune McPhee originally released in 1980. While it serves as a tribute to Coleman, it is a fitting coda in honour of the two veteran musicians evoked at this concert.
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