Description
“From chirps to caterwauling, brushes to beatings, the debut recording from the duo of saxophonist Mette Rasmussen and drummer Chris Corsano is a dynamic and diverse affair. In a sense, Corsano’s name on the credits is, to me, a stamp of quality assurance, and if you have not heard of Rasmussen yet, acquaint yourself now, she’s a force of nature on the sax.
Though it starts with atmospheric jitters from the sax and the whale-song of the cymbals, the duo’s output quickly picks up in intensity. Rasmussen’s lines become explosive and powerful wails while Corsano’s favors the low end rumble of the floor tom and kick drum. There is space between these lines too, and as the track progresses the two maneuver in concert, never overshadowing, never stepping on each other’s toes.
‘_‘s Lament’ parts 1 and 2 (you get to fill in who is lamenting, I suppose) begins quietly. Corsano’s snare suggesting a pulse and Rasmussen’s sax a forlorn cry, the two short tracks show off the atmospheric side of the duo. But not for long. ‘Contester’ snaps back into fulminating form and the following ‘How Many of These Things Do We Need’ is almost like a series of musical questions. ‘Dots (for Paul Flathery)’ references one of Corsano’s long term duetting partners.
What else is there to say? Put two fierce musicians together in a small room with good acoustics with bassist Max Johnson at the recording console and this is what you get – a mix of the beatific and the bombast, texture and trauma. Excellent.” -Paul Acquaro