In July 2005, the noted avant-garde jazz label Leo Records released two albums featuring guitarist
Mark O'Leary and violinist
Mat Maneri (the other CD is titled
Self-Luminous). Both sessions were recorded on the same day, January 4, 2002. Sitting at the piano,
Matthew Shipp rounds out the pair on
Chamber Trio. The music remains intentionally soft-spoken throughout the set, respecting the mood hinted at in the title. At times,
Shipp is almost in cabaret mode, trickling high notes and sketching motives before coming back to playing slippery phantom chord changes.
Maneri's signature sound -- a certain moaning quality of the bow, a way of fading in his contributions, as if he were using a volume pedal -- is a perfect match for
O'Leary's almost unassertive style. This one is using a volume pedal. He also keeps his amp down, which makes each note sound like it is being squeezed out of the instrument with some effort. The effect is not quite unheard-of, but
O'Leary takes it to a new level, especially in "Jaunt" and "Rest," two highlights. When he drops this technique to become more talkative (as in "Kurts Park"), his contribution loses some of its uniqueness, although he is a gifted player, with a strong sense of phrasing, which is not as widespread in free improvisation as one would think. By pointing to well-known modern composers, titles like "St. Ives" and "Ligeture" give away a few pieces of the puzzle, but they also mislead. After all,
Chamber Trio is mostly dominated by the jazz ethos, thanks mostly to the keen sense of melody
O'Leary and
Maneri share, and the fact that
Shipp is moonlighting as a bop player on a few tunes.