MICHEL DONEDA · URS LEIMGRUBER · KEITH ROWE — The Difference Between A Fish (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This album (whose title apparently originates in a Scandinavian joke) consists of two extended concert recordings featuring Michel Doneda and Urs Leimgruber on saxophones and Keith Rowe on guitar. Rowe's slow-moving drones define the arch form of "The First Part," while on "The Third Part" he seems to be trying to find out how far he can go into the background without disappearing altogether, with the result that the saxophonists are left more to their own devices. Whereas Leimgruber's origins in wild and woolly free jazz manage to make themselves felt (more so when he plays the tenor), Doneda's soprano playing is quite original (and has moved on considerably since his 1998 Potlatch solo album, Anatomie des Clefs), more bird than Bird. His soaring lines above Rowe's buzzing thunderous rumbles on "The First Part" (recorded 15 months after "The Third Part," incidentally) recall "Le Paradoxe en Long" from his 1992 In Situ masterpiece, Soc (with Dominique Regef and Lê Quan Ninh), and the inspired chirping and cooing that round off the track are close in feel to the open-air recordings Doneda has released on the Ouïe-Dire label. On "The Third Part," the saxophonists seem to be on the verge of exploding into activity, with only Rowe to restrain them. It's more problematic, but no less enthralling. Dan Warburton
Tracklist :
1.    The First Part 25:30
Recorded By – Ansgar Ballhorn
2.    The Third Part  27:56
Producer [Production] – Marita Emigholz
Recorded By – Klaus Schumann, Renate Wolter-Seevers
Credits :
Guitar, Electronics – Keith Rowe
Producer [Radio Bremen Production] – Marita Emigholz
Soprano Saxophone – Michel Doneda
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Urs Leimgruber

EVAN PARKER | KEITH ROWE - Dark Rags (2000) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This is not the first time Evan Parker and Keith Rowe have recorded together, but what makes these two lengthy live improvisations so compelling is the seamless and almost uncanny way in which the musicians meld their creative concepts. Rowe is a surprisingly effective partner for the more aggressive Parker, as the former lays down alternatively minimalist and complex layers of electronic fabric that the saxophonist integrates in his blowing. There is always a sense of equal pairing, of smorgasbords of ambient clouds rising up in swirls of interlocking embraces. Curiously, neither of the tracks ever grows tedious, even though both hover at the 40-minute mark, and there is a certain static quality throughout. This is utterly fascinating fare, with Rowe's low-key electronics occasionally adding humor, and Parker adjusting his sometimes frenetic style by lowering the volume and bouncing delicately off the manipulated noises. Somehow, Rowe brings out qualities in the saxophonist's playing that are not usually heard; the results are often thrilling. Steve Loewy
Tracklist :
1    Dark Rags # 1    37:22
2    Dark Rags # 2    40:25
Credits :
Guitar, Electronics, Music By – Keith Rowe
Tenor Saxophone, Music By – Evan Parker

DEREK BAILEY | STEVE LACY — Outcome (1983-1999) Two Version | APE (image+.cue), lossless + FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This is only the second recorded collaboration between guitarist Derek Bailey and soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy, and while the rarity of the event adds to the thrill, there is little question of the outstanding results produced on this particular occasion. As critic Jon Morgan points out in the liner notes, Lacy and Bailey embrace different concepts of improvisation, yet neither sacrifices any of his individuality to meet the other on common ground. There is little of the conversational quality so often found when musical giants play in tandem. Instead, the five pieces reflect two performers in peak form, each of whom displays his abilities to the fullest. Lacy has rarely sounded better, taking full advantage of the freedom of Bailey's electric guitar. While you are not likely to hear an ounce of familiarity in Bailey's contribution (he always seems sui generis), the guitarist continues to amaze with his independence and originality. Anyone even modestly interested in either Lacy or Bailey will wish to hear this one. Steve Loewy
Tracklist :
1 Input #1 16:54
Derek Bailey / Steve Lacy

2 Input #2 13:40

Derek Bailey / Steve Lacy
3 Input #3 8:08
Derek Bailey / Steve Lacy

4 Input #4 16:03

Derek Bailey / Steve Lacy

5 Input #5 5:27

Derek Bailey / Steve Lacy

Credits :

Electric Guitar – Derek Bailey
Soprano Saxophone – Steve Lacy