PAPATAMUS REDUX

DEFKAZ RECORDS (RELEASED JUNE 1, 2026

The quartet of saxophonist Ivo Perelman, pianist Matthew Shipp, bassist William Parker and drummer Bobby Kapp continue to do what they do best —stimulate responses in each other and their listeners. So, Synesthesia is a more than appropriate title for their third recording as an ensemble. After all, the word means the stimulation of one sense automatically triggering an experience in another sense. In the case of this recording, it is the virtuosity and creativity of the individual players that triggers musical responses from the other players. Like their two earlier recordings, Ineffable (2019) and Heptagon (2025), Synesthesia is collective improvisation at its best — mesmerizing, pure, free flowing and expertly played. Think of it as the best in origami, with each of the five compositions unfolding from different starting points into a sonic whole. Kapp opens “First Color Heard,” which evolves into a series of ascending chords from Shipp that are echoed by the melodic explorations of Perelman and Kapp’s percussive punctuations. “Phosphene” grows in intensity from the intertwined lines of the four musicians into a rhapsodic solo from Shipp. Perelman and Parker set the tone for “Blue Taste,” a piece that seamlessly shifts from simplicity to complexity. The individual voices of Perelman, Shipp, Parker and Kapp come together and  move apart on “Afterglow.” With its unison opening and sonic explorations, “One Sense” is the quartet operating at the peak of free improvisation. Through it all, the actions of one player influences and inspires the actions of another player. This is not rehearsed music, but refreshing music created in the moment by four masters of this vital art form. It should be noted that one form of synesthesia is known as chromesthesia — the ability of hearing sound to cause a listener to see colors or shapes. Synesthesia will do just that!

BOTTOM LINE: Like magnets, Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, William Parker and Bobby Kapp seamlessly come together and pull apart on Synesthesia. The recording showcases the dichotomy that characterize the best of collective improvisation — relaxed and bustling, structured and clairvoyant, familiar and unfamiliar.