Ivo Perelman: 12 Stages of Spiritual Alchemy & Polarity 4

12 STAGES OF SPIRITUAL ALCHEMY:
FUNDACJA SLUCHAJ (RELEASED OCTOBER 1, 2026)
POLARITY 4:
BURNING AMBULANCE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 7, 2026)

With the release of 12 Stages of Spiritual Alchemy and Polarity 4, saxophonist Ivo Perelman adds two distinctly different duo sessions to his growing discography of more than 125 recordings. He is joined by trombonist Ray Anderson on 12 Stages of Spiritual Alchemy and trumpeter Nate Wooley on Polarity 4. What sets these sessions apart is the way in which the musicians interact as they create music in the moment. It often reminds me of the difference between pair skating and ice dancing. Much like pair skaters, who spend a significant portion of their performance apart yet complementing one another, Perelman and Anderson revel in displays of their musical acrobatics — sonic jumps, thrusts and twists. With his use of mutes, growls and slides, Anderson is the more boisterous of the pair while Perelman prefers to create pirouetting musical lines. This “alone together” approach to spontaneous improvisation suits this pair who make their first duo recording with 12 Stages of Spiritual Alchemy. (They did recprd together in 2023 on Perelman’s Molten Gold quartet date.) Having made several duo recordings, Perelman and Wooley are more like ice dancers, intertwining, spinning and twirling musical ideas as if one. There are brief moments when they separate, but most of the nine compositions show the simpatico they have developed since their first Polarity session in 2021. The real surprise on Polarity 4 is the overdubbing on track one which treats you to two Perelmans and two Wooleys! Like medal winning skaters, whatever style Perelman and his partners perform, they do it with grace, precision and awe-inspiring results. That’s a “10” in my book.

BOTTOM LINE: Saxophonist Ivo Perelman’s catalog of recordings is as diverse as the people with who he chooses to perform. His latest duo recordings explore the sonic possibilities of sax and trombone (Ray Anderson) and sax and trumpet (Nate Wooley).
The spontaneous improvisations they create are full of twists and turns, tranquility and turbulence, joy and anguish.