Intense set of saxophone and electronics from two greats – Bertrand Denzler and Jason Kahn. Translations (POTLATCH P122) was recorded in live in concert in Paris in late 2021 and the CD presents a single 34 min document of their work. Both players provide plenty of harsh and spiky textures on their chosen weapons, and the music is as volatile as a bath of acid laced with ping-pong balls. Yet the duo are proud of the “musical interaction”, enjoying the paradox of putting these two “opposite” instruments together in a situation which you could regard as anomalous. Saxophonists Anthony Braxton, Evan Parker, and Joe McPhee have all done it too (Braxton since 1977), and they all tried to find common ground with the electronic half, resulting in harmonious blends and exciting innovations. In this 21st century incarnation of the pairing, the key themes are more like antipathy, abrasiveness, bordering on outright hostility; Denzler and Kahn fight it out like two incompatible organisms squabbling in the same Petri dish. (16/01/2023)
