Because
Ivo Perelman is so spiritual a player, it made perfect sense when the Brazilian tenor/explorer turned his attention to traditional Jewish songs on
En Adir. This outstanding CD, however, is far from a traditional Jewish album. Joined by pianist
Marilyn Crispell, bassist
William Parker and drummer
Gerry Hemingway,
Perelman takes more than his share of liberties with "En Adir," "L'Shana Haba'a," "Avinu Malkenu" and other songs that he transforms into avant-garde jazz.
Perelman is no stranger to atonality, but this time, he goes the "inside/outside" route. Although some of the "outside" passages are blistering, he pays a great deal of attention to melody and sounds absolutely delighted by the melodies he's interpreting. In fact, the title tune finds
Perelman coming close to mainstream post-bop and interacting with
Crispell in a manner recalling
John Coltrane's work with
McCoy Tyner in the early-to-mid-'60s. The saxman has a major asset in
Crispell, whose pianism demonstrates that while
Cecil Taylor is her main influence, she's far from a mere imitator.
En Adir is not only one of
Perelman's more accessible CDs, it's also one of his best. ~ Alex Henderson