Coming into this release, I couldn't help but anticipate something of an oil and water affair. The pair had performed together on occasion for several years and previously issued a recording 1 May 2018 on Ikon Gallery (unheard by this listener) but Sakata was in his late 70s at the time of the current recording and had established a long track record as, generally, a fire-breathing free saxophonist working alongside Peter Brötzmann as a guest with Last Exit as well as Jim O'Rourke. Nakajima, on the other hand, in my experience, deals more with sound installations wherein gentle processes occur, where sounds are generated by a light touch, allowing for plenty of space, with no reference to a free jazz tradition.
And to a large extent, that's what occurs here. Two lengthy tracks of 35 and 45 minutes with, by and large, Sakata on alto and clarinet, playing over and around the percussive taps and soft sizzles of Nakajima. To be sure, his playing is fairly restrained — I was often reminded of the more lyrical approaches of Julius Hemphill — but the "language" is decidedly jazz-based and, to these ears, operates in a different sphere than that created by Nakajima. Of course, one can simply listen from that direction, of two dissimilar attacks seeking common ground and that, in fact, was my main way into the music. Still, more often than not, there doesn't seem to be much acknowledgement on Sakata's part toward Nakajima's activities and it's difficult not to hear her reduced to a supporting role. About a third of the way through the second piece, Sakata switches to percussion (bells and singing bowl) with satisfying results, the pair entering a similar space and creating on equal terms. This only lasts for a few minutes, however. Later in the piece, Sakata vocalizes in a rather guttural fashion (not knowing Japanese, I can't elaborate on the text); the tone is dramatic and theatrical, Nakajima patiently tapping out quiet rhythms in the background, a fairly effective sequence.
This listener found the set somewhat disjunctive and unsatisfying although, as implied above, perhaps that was the (or a) point. Listeners approaching from a knowledge of Sakata's past may find it an intriguing path for him to venture down this late in his career.
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