Write a Review
Critic's Review
Steve Loewy, All Music Guide
Hearing pianist Misha Mengelberg with this free-improvisational trio is an eye-opener. This recording documents portions of two concerts with saxophone whiz Mats Gustafsson, and percussion phenom Gert-Jan Prins. There are two long tracks that let the musicians stretch, and one deconstruction of Jerome Kern's "I've Told Every Little Star." Mengelberg is, as usual, a delight, as he carefully chooses his notes much the way a child might select his Brussels sprouts: slowly and deliberately, even reluctantly. In contrast, Gustafsson alternates between little sounds and gusts of energy. Throw into the mix the raucous braying of Prins' percussion and his wild electronics, and the stew boils to near perfection. Unfortunately, the sound is less than perfect, detracting considerably, particularly on the first number, which takes up more than half the space. Still, the singular joy of hearing these three together is a rare treat.
