(Avant-Garde Jazz, Free Improvisation, CIMP) Herb Robertson & Phil Haynes - Ritual - 2000, FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Trumpeter Herb Robertson has demonstrated his facility in (albeit unconventional) melodic settings. But he also has great potential for the "other" kind of improvised music. Ritual, a striking example of the latter, was performed on Leap Day, 2000. Recorded live to two-track in a darkened room lit only by candles (spooky!), he offers a tour of his truly vast sonic universe. With accompaniment by drummer Phil Haynes, Robertson explores some seriously extraterrestrial sounds.
By means only imaginable to this listener, he stretches the trumpet to the full limits of its sonic potential. Haynes is game for the occasional creative, punchy rhythmic interplay—but he plays much more the role of colorist than timekeeper. Thus their duets on Ritual consist entirely of free improvisation. Only toward the second half of the record does Robertson hint at any kind of linear play. The absence of conventional melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic forms creates an intriguing alternative to Robertson's more structured work as a sideman.
With their generous use of space, both these musicians make each note a deliberate act; and the dynamic range on this disc is dangerously huge. These two musicians treat structure as something to create in the moment and then wantonly destroy on a path elsewhere. As you might imagine, they occupy perilous ground.
By NILS JACOBSON
***
I can count all the trumpet players that peak my interest on my side of the Atlantic on one hand: Wadada Leo Smith, Bill Dixon, Paul Smoker, Dave Douglas, and Herb Robertson. That isn't the largest of talent pools so when any of them document their music, it is a welcome addition.
Robertson, who is becoming somewhat of a cult hero of late, has recorded a string of releases for the CIMP and Cadence Jazz labels. His latest have him in the company of Phil Haynes for a duo recording (Ritual) with the percussionist and Brooklyn-Berlin, a quintet session with Vinny Golia, Ned Rothenberg, and Ken Filiano. Both highlight different aspects of Robertson's approach. Ritual, the more intimate of the two due to circumstance, gives the trumpeter ample space to explore various tonal and technical intricacies. Brooklyn-Berlin, on the other hand, is at times a free music jam session between five distinctive voices, all bidding for the listener's attention, which is exhausting as much as it is invigorating.
Having said that, while both releases (recorded back to back) are superb in comparison to the dreary and often times, unbearably predictable "opuses" from Wynton and his band of merry men, I preferred Ritual, not because Robertson or Haynes play "better," but rather because the close setting allows both players to feed off one another in ways only a duo set can and develop ideas without fear of an oncoming solo. The result is brow raising trumpet inventions from Robertson and impressive work from Haynes, who at points plays what sound like every square inch of the snare drum and sometimes without benefit of drumsticks. The four part extended improvisational pieces give so much that at its conclusion, I was openly shocked it had ended so soon.
The 5tet record, Brooklyn-Berlin, was by no means a let down, but coupled Haynes and Robertson with clarinets courtesy of Golia and Rothenberg plus bass via Filiano, giving the music texture, but limiting Robertson's wealth of musical ideas in a group setting. Because it is not made as clear as it could have been via sound engineering
and liner notes, it is often difficult to tell Rothenberg and Golia apart, which if you are a fan of either musician (like I am), it becomes annoying. But that does not take away from the music, which never falls below compelling. "Inner-lude," with its utilization of silence and deliberate notes from all concerned was of particular interest, as was the color and shading of "Waltz for Gerry."
Recommended without prejudice, Ritual and Brooklyn-Berlin serve as fine introductions into the art that is Robertson's trumpet.
Fred Jung
***
These four segments are really one continuous free style improvisation between trumpeter Herb Robertson and drummer Phil Haynes, conveniently divided between pauses for listening purposes. There are extremes in dynamics and tempos, all of which are realistically captured by CIMP's unique engineering technique of recording unadulterated sound. In general, the beginning starts very softly, and gradually builds to a tumultuous conclusion. Robertson is a one-man horn section. He growls and slurps, but always in a melodic jazz context. While Robertson and Haynes are clearly blowing extemporaneously, they are such experienced masters of these types of spacious and creative constructs that it unfolds in logical fashion. Both instrumentalists are very aware of the importance of space and of varied timbres. While the end product requires concentrated listening (on which producer Robert D. Rusch explicates in the liner notes), it is worth the effort. The duo leads us on a journey that always leaves us wondering where it will lead; yet, after the fact, the choices seem logical, if not self-evident. An analogy to the visual arts is apropos.

Herb Robertson - trumpet
Phil Haynes - drums, percussion