Live at the South Bank marks the final of six collaborations between jazz drumming legend
Steve Reid and electronic composer and musician
Keiran Hebden (
Four Tet). The pair began on
Reid's excellent 2005 ensemble offering
Spirit Walk, and continued through four more duet records -- two volumes of
The Exchange Session in 2006,
Tongues in 2007, and, finally,
NYC in 2008. Interestingly, the ideas were endless and
Reid and
Hebden were able to complement one another and play as a unit throughout their association. For this final entry issued on the venerable Smalltown Superjazzz imprint, the duo expanded to a trio by adding Swedish saxophone powerhouse
Mats Gustafsson.
Reid was already terminally ill; he died less than a year later, though you'd never know it by his playing. Six long tracks are divided over two discs. The selections are mostly interpretations from
Reid's and
Hebden's catalog, though there is a brilliant untitled improvisation that kicks off disc two. Things begin in duet with "Morning Prayer."
Reid's circular rhythmic approach is expanded upon and complemented by
Hebden's electronics, which include rhythm loops, atmospheric synth progressions, and noise expressed as counterpoint. It is a beautifully unified work.
Gustafsson enters the picture on "Lyman Place." After a drum and thumb piano intro (the latter via
Hebden's samples) and wobbling electronic noise, the tenorist begins on
Reid's downbeat, wafting in from the margins, playing outside squalls and arpeggios, droning honks, screams, fingering, and tongue tricks in the backdrop, never emerging enough to claim the mix.