Both musicians are masters of space and ominous subtlety. Sorey begins proceedings with the knock of hallow wooden percussion and then adds on thunder-like rumbling and light chimes to create a mesmerizing atmosphere. The crystalline tone of Crispell's piano dances around the chimes, but as things go on, the pianist moves her tone to more foreboding territory. Throughout the set the dynamics of the duo are stunning, especially in a reactive sense. The way they build tension is marvelous. For example, around the 8-minute mark, it's hard not to be impressed when Sorey morphs his kit to evoke the sound of a stampede and Crispell follows suit.
The duo excels in the hectic and the ethereal. Around the 22 minute mark, the vast space that defined the opening moments of the piece returns, but now with less thunder and more light crescendos from Sorey. Crispell compliments him excellently with solitary gracefully played notes with her right hand and harder lower notes with her left that serve as an interesting juxtaposition to Sorey's light bells. Although Crispell sounds fantastic when she opts for this almost minimalist approach, she is just as engaging when she decides to be rambunctious. Towards the end of the piece (past the hour mark) and in the midway point (around the 32-minute mark) she focuses on dissonant chords and her touch gets extremely fast and heavy. A brilliant chaos forms as Sorey adjusts the pace of his drum work accordingly.
Even with all the dissonance, there are moments of otherworldly beauty. Near the 51-52 minute mark, gorgeous piano playing evocative of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" creates a truly beautiful passage. Sorey's work here, which is primarily with bells, is also beautiful, but what is truly notable throughout this set is how easily his various techniques - whether stomping or whispering - can pull a listener into this vast dark environment. The Adornment of Time captures two established names of the avant-garde having an undeniably strong connection.
The duo excels in the hectic and the ethereal. Around the 22 minute mark, the vast space that defined the opening moments of the piece returns, but now with less thunder and more light crescendos from Sorey. Crispell compliments him excellently with solitary gracefully played notes with her right hand and harder lower notes with her left that serve as an interesting juxtaposition to Sorey's light bells. Although Crispell sounds fantastic when she opts for this almost minimalist approach, she is just as engaging when she decides to be rambunctious. Towards the end of the piece (past the hour mark) and in the midway point (around the 32-minute mark) she focuses on dissonant chords and her touch gets extremely fast and heavy. A brilliant chaos forms as Sorey adjusts the pace of his drum work accordingly.
Even with all the dissonance, there are moments of otherworldly beauty. Near the 51-52 minute mark, gorgeous piano playing evocative of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" creates a truly beautiful passage. Sorey's work here, which is primarily with bells, is also beautiful, but what is truly notable throughout this set is how easily his various techniques - whether stomping or whispering - can pull a listener into this vast dark environment. The Adornment of Time captures two established names of the avant-garde having an undeniably strong connection.
