If judged solely on its fabulous array of sonorities, Green Dolphy Suite by Double Trio (the combined forces of Trio de Clarinettes and the Arcado String Trio) would have to be considered a real find for intrepid listeners, especially those with a taste for jazz and avant-garde explorations. Every conceivable extended technique for clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, violin, cello, and double bass is tried at least once, and there is music here for fans of anything between hard bop and frenzied skronk. But what makes this album extraordinary is its profound musicality, in what may seem an extremely difficult idiom for both technically precise and emotionally connected playing. The music is often angular, brusque, cerebral, and fiendishly virtuosic, yet it is also remarkably expressive, richly colorful, and entertaining for its great variety and frequent wit. The members of Trio de Clarinettes are responsible for half of this disc's vibrant music, in Louis Sclavis' Green Dolphy Suite, Jacques di Donato's arrangement of Xavier Charles' Clic!!!, and Armand Angster's Suite Domestique; the other half of the program was conceived by the Arcado Trio, and Mark Feldman's Cold Water Music, Mark Dresser's Bosnia, and Ernst Reijseger's Muhu are their imaginative contributions. All of the works were composed for clarinets and strings in a double trio format, and the interplay between the two groups is the basis for incredibly inventive counterpoint and intricately woven textures, though without pronounced antiphonal divisions. Often, timbres are hard to recognize as reed or string sounds, and listeners can puzzle over the myriad novel effects for hours. But the ensemble's artistry, vitality, and stunning originality combine to make this album a fascinating study of instrumental and stylistic possibilities, and a tour de force of contemporary chamber music, genres notwithstanding. This CD is highly recommended.
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