No, it’s not an ode to a new pair of Nike footwear. Instead, this disc combines the talents of two gurus on their respective instruments, septuagenarian Rudd and fifty-something Dresser in a largely informal jam dedicated to dance forms. Trombone and bass albums are still a rare breed, but there is precedence such partnerships, most recently (and notably) on Dresser’s CIMP confab with Ray Anderson captured on Nine Songs Together. This set doesn’t quite match that one in terms of pervasive humor and self-deprecation, but it comes close. Dresser dampens his strings to create croaking juice harp effects on the opening “Calypso Lite” while Rudd plays straight man, his ‘bone open, slide lubricious, in pursuit of the gently syncopated theme. The title piece, voiced in two different versions both with ‘bone muted, traffics somber territory in slightly meandering fashion. Dresser’s strings are prominent, his knuckle-cracking patterns hanging in slow decay before ceding space to Rudd’s chimerical tailgate smears.
Possibly location-specific, “Roz MD” trades in harsh brass vocalics and more punishing pizzicato. Dresser’s bass sounds oddly pointed and coarse, but in tandem with loquacious trombone the severity and snap makes for a fine fit. With “Duality”, it’s as if Rudd has crammed an entire hubcap into his horn’s mouth, dull metallic vibrations buzzing alongside Dresser’s perambulating rubber band fingerings. The brief “Burst” is similarly saturated with small-scale tonal implosions. Rudd’s Monk inclinations find release with a drowsy explication on “Don’t Blame Me” while “Lovers Waltz” visits the duo in an uncharacteristically sentimental shared frame of mind and provides a condensed forum for Dresser’s bow. Neither man seems very concerned with polishing the play up for an audience, preferring to revel in their conversation on its own terms. As such, the results may press the patience of some listeners, but the prowess in abundance in these omnifarious improvisations is hard to deny. Like the mythical beings referenced in the disc’s title, these two make such gravity defying stunts seem second nature.
~ Derek Taylor
Posted by derek on December 6, 2006 7:01 AM"Trombone and bass albums are still a rare breed, but there is precedence"
The Harry Miller/Radu Malfatti in Ogun comes to mind.
I'll look for this one, sounds nice.
Posted by: Gerardo Alejos at December 6, 2006 10:42 AMI can't wait for this! That duo with Ray Anderson is one of a handful of CIMP keepers. I saw Anderson and Helias as a duo and It was mindblowing.
Still, those Miller/Malfatti duos are in a class by themselves.
I just got this and the new Russ Lossing release w/Dresser from EMuisc. Emusic is great for instant gratifacation. Clean feed releases get there quickly.
Dresser is quickly lifting his left finger and then pressing it back down to create a bi-tone, meaning the string sounds on both sides of his finger. He has speacial pick-ups installed in the fingerboard to ampliy those sounds.
This sounds great so far.
Thanks for the technical tidbit, Damon. Still reminds me of a froggy ribbit. Dresser has a different sound on this one, kind of ramshackle & coarse, but in a deliberate sort of way. I dig it & think it fits right in with Rudd’s rough & tumble bag of tricks. Strikes me as the sounds of two guys informally chewing the fat and finding how well their proclivities match.
I haven’t spun that Lossing yet, but it’s near the top of my pile.
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