Spring News:
Lovely review of Amber by Jan Granlie in the Norwegian journal, Salt Peanuts, via Google Translate:
[Amber] is free improvisation performed by two musicians who are close to each other, and who complement each other in an exciting way. Scott Thomson’s trombone playing is out of another world. In fact, I can’t remember hearing a trombonist with such eminent technique and with so many ideas, which he lets flow beyond the duo collaboration, and occasionally the playing is so we almost don’t think it’s possible to perform it without dubbing or the like. And Lori Freedman is a skilled listener who pays close attention to the trombone, both with the Bb clarinet and, not least, the bass clarinet. And together they have made a brilliant record that you have to concentrate on to catch all the details of the game of the two. Just listen to the trombone playing in the third track “Cadinene”. Unbelievable!
This has become an intense duo record that you should listen to in private, or together with someone with the same slightly twisted ideas about what constitutes exciting music. Because this is not music for the “everyman”. This is music that invites intense concentration, and if you take your time, you will discover a world of improvisation that surpasses most.
Many years ago, Anthony Braxton made the extremely exciting duo record Elements Of Surprise on the Moers Music company with trombonist George Lewis, where in addition to doing Charlie Parker’s “Ornithology”, they did some Braxton and Lewis compositions, which can almost be compared to what we get served here. Thomson has a lot of Lewis in her enormous, technical and exciting playing, while Freedman is close to Braxton in how she perceives and takes hold of the music.
An extremely exciting, creative and distinctive duo recording!