John R. Carlson, Foresight (3" CDR Parvoart)

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With Foresight, German-base American pianist John R. Carlson concludes a trilogy of improvised works which began with "November" and continued with "Recollections" (both reviewed elsewhere in these pages).

As with "Recollections", Carlson partners up with long-standing collaborator Oliver Sonntag on drums and the two of them mesh much more seamlessly here than I felt they did on their last outing.

Carlson is in an effervescent mood and the two, long sections are straightforward, lyrical and friendly. The first gets downright jaunty at one point, throwing hips to the left and right, all big-city strut. Around mid-point, the pianist gets caught in a nice little locked rut, with Sonntag keeping pace by snapping his brush against a cymbal, before Carlson breaks out of the cycle with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. Big finish, with the two of them managing to sound like the entire Tito Puente Orchestra before trailing off into the pixie dust which heralds the next section.

Carlson´s melodic ideas regroup in a new, but equally busy form, each tone uttered by the piano pure and clear and tightly focused. Sonntag is more spectator than particpant for much of the time, until Carlson expands the picture into a widescreen panorama. Together, the two lope their way off in living colour.

Like all Parvoart releases, the editiion is limited to a mere fifty copies, though a further untitled track recorded at the same session is available from the label´s website.

http://www.parvoart.org