Free Zone Appleby 2004

In 2004, the Free Zone feature of the Appleby Jazz Festival presented a sequence of duo and trio combinations featuring bassist Barry Guy, percussionist Paul Lytton, saxophonist Evan Parker, violinist Philipp Wachsmann, and Joel Ryan on live computer processing. Free Zone Appleby 2004 culls pieces taken from each of the four sets. Every set was twofold, starting with a duo between Ryan and one of the acoustic players, followed by a trio between the three other musicians. The track list on the CD reflects this organization, systematically permuting players. Ryan's work with free improvisers never ceases to amaze; his approach is much more complementary than the usual fragmentation processes of other computer artists working in live situations. His duo with Wachsmann ranks among the best material he has recorded yet. The two of them are literally fused together, each one reinventing the language of the other. The duo with Barry Guy also reaches impressive heights. The other duos fall more within expectations -- strong, but not surprising. The trios are also rather uneventful, as Guy, Lytton, Parker, and Wachsmann have been improvising together for so many years. Each lineup produces good interaction levels, with a special mention going to "Trio-3" by Parker, Guy, and Wachsmann, but these pieces present nothing different that would recommend them over earlier recordings. That said, Ryan's presence on over half of the album is reason enough to add this title to your collection. ~ Francois Couture|