Ivo Perelman - Where to Start?

[Rabshakeh]

Hello,

I'd be grateful if someone could recommend me two or three Ivo Perelman records (either his own leadership dates or where he is co leading)

I have been wanting to find out more, but he seems have released three albums a week for the past thirty years, and his discography is a bit on the daunting side.  

Thanks!

[mjazzg]

I've given up in face of the tsunami of duo recordings with Shipp! I saw them at the Vortex and they were tremendous so I suspect any of those recordings are worth trying. Clifford Thornton of this parish has recently reviewed some of them.

Others I enjoy are:

Sad Life - with William Parker/ Rashid Ali

Living Jelly - Joe Morris, Gerald Cleaver

The Gift - Shipp, Bisio

The Passion According to G.H - w. string quartet

I tend to scratch the occasional purchase itch based on other players/instrumental line up as much as anything else.

All the Leos are on Spotify I think. Most at least

[Д.Д.]

I have not kept up for the last 15 years or so, and it's unlikely I will, but from the older stuff I remember liking these three:

Children of Ibeji (on Enja MW, 1992): https://www.discogs.com/Ivo-Perelman-Children-Of-Ibeji/release/1974004 

The Eye Listens with Michael Wimberly and Wilber Morris (on Boxholder, 1999): https://www.discogs.com/Ivo-Perelman-The-Eye-Listens/release/536752 

The Hammer with Jay Rosen (on Leo, 1998): https://www.discogs.com/Ivo-Perelman-Jay-Rosen-The-Hammer/release/2492679 

None of these is on Spotify. The first two are OOP (sorry), but should be relatively easy to find.

Ah, and one more: En Adir (Traditional Jewish Songs) with Marilyn Crispell, Gerry Hemingway and William Parker (who is somewhat less annoying than usual here) on Music & Arts, 1996: https://www.discogs.com/Ivo-Perelman-Quartet-En-Adir-Traditional-Jewish-Songs/release/3246054  . This one's on Spotify. 

[jcam_44]

I have about 30 Ivo releases and like others it was too daunting to keep up. I think my last purchase was Callas. The great thing about Ivo's records are the variety, he is truly an innovator and relentless improvisor. Other than the albums mentioned above I recommend:

Sound Hierarchy

The Clairvoyant 

The Edge

For Duo with piano albums:

Bendito of Santa Cruz w/ Matthew Ship 

and

Reverie w/ Karl Berger. 

My favorite Ivo just above Sad Life is Suite for Helen F, a double trio album

 

[Rabshakeh]

Thanks everyone!

I think I'll start with Sad Life, and then dig in.

There's some intriguing looking sidemen and duets in these recommendations.

[clifford_thornton]

Can cosign on all of these; Live in Nuremberg (brand new) is another excellent duo set with Matt Shipp.

Here's a lengthy but fun interview I did with Ivo a few years ago now... 

https://www.cliffordallen.me/interviews/ivo-perelman-the-indisputable-truth-of-process-an-interview-2013

and like jcam_44 I must have at least 30 of his CDs! I would agree that there's so much variety it's hard to know where to dip in, but everything I've heard has been really enjoyable.

[Steve Reynolds]

Don’t miss Siero 

I also like Suite for Helen F quite a bit

Sad Life, En Adir & Sound Hierarchy are great

Seeds, Visions & Counterpoint has some great peaks

I also have not kept up but I have a nice trio disc or two with Mat Maneri and I think Whit Dickey

I can do without 100 recordings with Matt Shipp

not sure what the point is

Edited June 9, 2020 by Steve Reynolds

[Jim Duckworth]

11 hours ago, Д.Д. said:

: En Adir (Traditional Jewish Songs) with Marilyn Crispell, Gerry Hemingway and William Parker (who is somewhat less annoying than usual here) on Music & Arts, 1996: https://www.discogs.com/Ivo-Perelman-Quartet-En-Adir-Traditional-Jewish-Songs/release/3246054  . This one's on Spotify. 

This one is my favorite.

[Д.Д.]

Inspired by this topic I listened to my first Perelman in 10 years (at least): a randomly selected Tarvos (Leo, 2017) with Shipp and Bobby Kapp: https://www.discogs.com/Ivo-Perelman-Tarvos/release/9996101  It's actually very good, I liked it much better than I'd thought I would.   

[danasgoodstuff]

I own Children of Ibeji (Brazilian folk tunes) and Man of the forest (Villa-Lobos tunes), I kept them but haven't bought any more FWIW.

[Rabshakeh]

Thanks everyone. 

Is there a general view on which of the Shipp duets is the best? I've liked Shipp when I've seen him, but I'm sensing that people are a bit lukewarm on them.

[jcam_44]

I think its the vast number of releases that they have together that make it difficult to stay interested. I have 3, Bendito of Santa Cruz, The Art of The Duet vol. 1 and Callas which is 2 CDs. Bendito is the one I return to most often. The probably have a dozen CDs together if you count the 3CD and 4CD sets they released recently. 

[clifford_thornton]

Shipp is great, and I think the duos work really well. Callas, Nuremberg, and Bendito would all be good places to start. 

They are both pretty obsessive players, in terms of working/reworking a concept or fine-tuning a process, and it's interesting that we have the documentation. 

[Rabshakeh]

Thank you, all. Bendito it is.