Shadow Company

Emanem has released several recordings made during Milo Fine's 2003 London stay, but this American set with Anthony Braxton tops them all. Both improvisers are in excellent shape and very generous, although Braxton sounds slightly reserved at first. If Fine the pianist cannot seem to succeed in shaking the legendary sax player out of his (exquisite) introspective mood, Fine the drummer hits the right nerves. The album consists of a single unedited 66-minute performance in front of an empty hall. The duo occasionally rests for a few seconds, usually to let Fine move from piano to drums (or vice versa) and allowing Braxton to change saxes (he has brought four, including his sopranino). The first quarter of the set sees the former at the piano, and things start softly, Fine dancing gracefully around the sax player's inner dialogue, occasionally weaving a seductively jazzy discourse. Then he moves on to the clarinet and the duo truly locks in. By the time Fine sits down at the drum set, Braxton is in full motion and what follows is a fiery free jazz episode. After a few seconds of silence, Fine is back at the piano, shifting between tender abstract melodies and hammered chords. A short second reeds duo features him exploring the resonating acoustics of the hall while Braxton plays a drone that grows once again to something fierce in the last couple of minutes. It would be too easy to suggest that these two improvisers, being both multi-instrumentalists, have a better understanding of each other, but on Shadow Company they do connect at a deep level early on. And that is all the magic it takes. ~ Francois Couture