You know a percussion album can stand on its own when the listener is not constantly thinking a sax could fill in the gaps here, or a guitar could shred that steady snare veneer there. In other words, a good percussion album forces the listener to approach it on its own terms. No melodies or tunefulness. Just rhythm and sound.
The Juggledrum consists of two drummers apparently seated in front of sets and surrounded by a variety of other percussive tools, large and small. As that description hints, the result is a series of very busy tracks. This is true for the most part. Both Ra Kalam Bob Moses and Jerome Bryerton (whose gnarly abstract expressionist paintings grace the cover and liner notes of this CD) can roil and tumble with the best of them, though with more deliberation and precision than most. Moses, a true master, is known for this: his polyrhythms, his variability, his balance of restlessness and meditation. Bryerton, a somewhat less-known entity, clearly possesses these traits, as well. It is a challenge to pick out who is playing which implement at any given time not because the music blurs, but because of the apparent common vision. There is little tension between the two drummers on this; there is no push and pull, or outshining. In fact, there does not seem to be a lead on any of these tracks, and rarely does either Moses or Bryerton fall back to a supporting role. I hesitate to call this a dialog, because it lacks any apparent back-and-forth. Instead, it points to impeccable simultaneity, an instant responsiveness in anticipation of rather than response to a change of direction or tempo or shading. The tracks simply unfold and flow.
Many pieces are active. A few others are more atmospheric, as Bryerton and Moses abandon their clear joy in clacking fusillades and crashes for more tempered spatial excavations. Tracks like "Clambers Toward Ithaca" and "Add That To The Image" can even sound cavernous. Despite the lack of fore- and background, these pieces have layers, and even the faster and more cluttered numbers achieve an impressive auditory depth. They are saturated, and mesmerically so.
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