Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Roman Stolyar and Dominic Duval, Park West Suite

Back to the improvisational arts today. And as for that there is a very good place to be with Roman Stolyar and Dominic Duval's new program, Park West Suite (Cadence Jazz Records). It's a substantial program of free-wheeled improvisational duets with Dominic D of course on contrabass and Roman Stolyar at the piano.

Maestro Duval remains one of the most original, most accomplished bassists in the improvisational world of today. Roman Stolyar is a pianist with various influences (clearly Cecil Taylor, perhaps a bit of Jarrett in his more outre moments, new music performance practices, etc.), which he harnesses for an organic style that is not eclectic as much as it is respectful of those who came before but determined to plow a singular furrow, so to say.

It's a near-hour of the two conjuring up forward moving modes that have room for contemplation at points. Dominic is in top form, playing a great deal of well-thought out bass alternating with space and sound-color moments of relative restfulness.

Mr. Stolyar impresses with good use of motifs, droning full-piano sonances, prepared and inside-the-piano chimes, cosmic whirligigs of turbulence, exploratory moments of spontaneous freedom, and scalular, tone-centered rubatos.

This is a very impressive set--Duval sounds inspired by Stolyar's all-over pianism; Stolyar gets much to interact with from Dominic's explosive bass-mastering.

These two would make a fabulous trio with the addition of a very musical, keenly attuned drum master. But there is so much going on already one certainly feels no lack. Excellent disk!

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