Sounds firing into the air

　Microscopic sounds of drumsticks being rubbed together are sensed together with piano tones released, pointillistic, into space. The dialogue begins like pulling on the string of a kite as it rises, the air filled with reverberations and echoes. Roger Turner is the British improvising drummer/percussionist who has worked extensively since the 1970's not only with musicians but also with artists from various genres. He has played several Japan tours over the years, playing improvised music with a vibrant, eclectic mix of musicians. There is no need to explain who Yuji Takahashi is. He has been recognized as an exceptional talent for a long time. Indeed, his is the rare existence of a contemporary classical musician who also plays improvised music. The first time the two musicians played together was 2017 at Shinjuku Pit-Inn with Akira Sakata, and they later played a duo at the Hall Egg Farm in Fukaya in 2018. This is the recording of their second duo performance, following Roger's invitation to Yuji to play together in Shizuoka in 2019. Takahashi's approach to playing improvised music is different from those who play free jazz. Their conversation began by weaving threads of sound. Turner responds fluidly to Takahashi using his small percussion instruments. The vivid exchanges between the two create a dynamic that invokes an image of the wind god and thunder god right there in the concert hall! It's so easy to register who is making which sound! Indeed, the music is amazingly dynamic. With consummate skill the developments suck our ears into a musical space, and perhaps because their playing has such a rare and high quality, it even summons that mysterious illusion that one is perhaps actually listening to contemporary composed music, although we know there is no music score. Improvised music takes an infinite variety of forms. There is the risk that it can collapse into cliches. However, it also needs to be acknowledged that because the music is improvised, there is the possibility to fashion a world constructed purely through the players' musical conversations. This record certainly documents the creation of such blissfully creative moments.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 (Kazue Yokoi)