Background Music

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"Of course," says critic John Corbett in the sleevenotes to this hatOLOGY release, "Background Music isn't straight cool jazz". Well, no. But it is undoubtedly indebted to the pre-Free yet somehow restlessly searching music that emerged specifically on the US West Coast in the late 50s and early 60s. I've reviewed some of Guillermo Gregorio's work - also released through hat - elsewhere in motion.Until last year, he was an entirely new name to me, for which I should feel shame. Born in Buenos Aires but resident in the US for decades now, he is an astonishing improviser. Taking as many cues in his youth from the concert music of the early 20th century as from jazz, he quickly saw how the furthest reaches of the cool school - Lennie Tristano and Warne Marsh in particular - were somehow synthesising the two.He actually took lessons, if such they could be called, from Marsh, and the influence on him has been profound. Known generally for his alto and clarinet playing, on this trio date he plays a considerable amount of tenor two. Now, the very fact that this session happened at all seems unlikely. Swedish tenorist MatsGustafsson couldn't be a more different player. Of a younger generation, his playing I would normally associate with a more fiery, Free-influenced music. Of late he's been a frequent visitor to the US (he's been out gigging with Chicago's Ken Vandermark, a motion favourite, to whom a track on this set is dedicated). Still, the session did come about, and it works beautifully. The gap between Free and Cool is bridged here (it was always overemphasised in any case), with both players creating music of introspective solemnity with utter spontaneity. In that respect, this music really nods over and over in the direction of Jimmy Giuffre, and is no bad thing for it. Along for the ride is percussionist Kjell Nordeson, a regular collaborator of Gustafsson's in the AALY trio. He's got a tough job to shine in this company, but I reckon he does; indeed, my ears were drawn to his impressionistic, a-rhythmic colourings again and again. Beautiful stuff.