Thursday, October 22, 2015

Blaise Siwula, Shiro Onuma, Songs for Albert

The sax-drums duo recording from 2009 available now dives right in with four energetic and inventive forays into improvisational freedom. It's Blaise Siwula on tenor and alto sax and Shiro Onuma on drums holding forth on Songs for Albert (No Frills Music 0007).

And so understandably Blaise channels, resituates and extends the over-the-top heritage of freedom that Albert Ayler left to us. Shiro is busy and dynamic in an onslaught of open time, less perhaps akin to Sunny Murray as perhaps to Rashied Ali. The point of it is to go with the heritage of new thingness and make something of it all over again.

Blaise once again impresses with his full sound and fresh ideas. On tenor he is in overdrive, no less on alto. The throaty and soulful take pride of place in an extravaganza of well-turned and sonically beautiful crafted outbursts that of course suggest the homage to Ayler, the continuation of the expressive explosiveness of the master in an extended and original way.

Shiro Onuma bursts forth as a percussive combustion, with continual energy and creative smarts.

There are moments of relative repose, too, as is fitting for a long set.

This is untrammeled avant improv excellence, a showcase for Blaise Siwula served up without interruption and the fine seconding of Shiro Onuma.

Those who don't know Siwula's freeway saxophone inventiveness and finely burnished sound could well start here. It gives you a fine introduction to his improvisatory arts. But even if you know his music it satisfies with a concentric burst of pure zone-dwelling. Bravo!

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