Dual Identity

Album Review

Birds of a feather who never think twice about what they do, alto saxophonists Rudresh Mahanthappa and Steve Lehman play together with a religious fervor and shared values that few musicians on similar instruments have ever possessed. Recorded at the Braga Jazz Festival, these two blow as if their lives depended on it with every phrase, accent, and extended counterpoint line, the essence of conjoined compatible styles, using so many notes in so little time. These whirling dervishes base their rhythmic contours via power-pointed accents and ethno-funk at times during "The General," and spiky fatback counter-melodies on a bed of lean beats from drummer Damion Reid during "Foster Brothers." There are spatial moments as constructed by guitarist Liberty Ellman, ballads, blues from bassist Matt Brewer, and fluttery separates from the principals. But mostly it's Mahanthappa and Lehman pushing the limits of their instruments as they duel away nonstop, feeding off each other and building huge pyramids of sound. The insistent "Circus" and more joined, less kinetic "Post-Modern Pharaohs" might be tracks that are something of a departure, but reveling in the mastery of how they both uniquely approach what has been a bebop vehicle for most post-Charlie Parker saxophonists is nothing short of a modern miracle. As ultra-concentrated a creative jazz outing as you will ever hear, the Mahanthappa-Lehman combine is heretofore unrivaled, challenged by no similar current tandem, and deserves high merit for its energy level alone. Yes, wailers still roam the Earth! ~ Michael G. Nastos, Rovi