A Life in the Day Of
Gabriella Cancelli; Lori Freedman; Stefano Giust; Giorgio Pacorig; Paolo Pascolo
Setola Di Maiale SM 4950 (setoladimaiale.net/catalogue/view/SM4950)
Souvenir of a busperson’s holiday in Italy by Canadian bass clarinetist Lori Freedman, the two long improvisations that make up A Life in the Day Of find her in buona compagnia with sympatico local improvisers flutist Paolo Pascolo, trumpeter Gabriele Cancelli, percussionist Stefano Giust and pianist Giorgio Pacorig.
Introduced by keyboard clips and trumpet yelps, the players pound, project and pepper the expositions with all manner of distinct, dissonant and defining sounds while maintaining a logical flow. As Freedman’s thickened chalumeau snores and clarion tongue stops emerge, she infrequently trades places with Pacorig’s percussive key clips and strummed strings or Giust’s crunches and shuffles to preserve the continuum. Cancelli’s brassy grace notes constantly move up the scale when not intersecting with the others for linear motion, while Pascolo’s flute trills create ethereal counterpoint, except for rare pivots when his bass flute pressure reaches a low-pitch ostinato.
As passages shift from mellow to multiphonics, each player seems determined to expose every variable tone from plunger growls to ascending peeps to distant breaths. Climax is reached during the final section of A Life In The Day Of (Part II). The pianist’s shift to indicative swing draws out drum rim shots and vocalized half-valve trumpeting so that even Freedman’s intense split tones fit into the finale.
With its concluding rhythmic emphasis and continuous sound explorations the session fascinates and proves how improvisers from different countries can efficiently reach the same groove.
