Reviewed: Paul Flaherty & Randall Colbourne

Paul Flaherty & Randall Colbourne
Bridge Out!
(FamilyVineyard)



Flaherty has become a staple on the avant/free jazz scene in the past 5 years. Thanks to works with Chris Corsano, Nels Cline, and Thurston Moore (that's just scratching the surface) Paul Flaherty has transformed thecool saxophone stylings of his youth into furious bursts of emotion. Jazz isn't the sound of cool when its spewed from Flaherty's reed, it's the sound of freedom--painful, glorious freedom.

Randall Colbourne, on the other hand, has faced the four carpeted walls of seclusion since he and Flaherty last worked together. Nearly two decades have pasted since Colbourne has set wood to skin as Flaherty's percussionist, choosing to focus on the power of the clarinet. Last year's aptly titled Clarinet Works was the fruit of Colbourne's lengthy labor, bringing him back into modern jazz discussions with gale force winds.

The two friends with plenty of musical history together and apart pull it all back together for Bridge Out!, which plays with Time Out era jazz. Don't confuse Flaherty/Colbourne as Time Out disciples as it pertains to Bridge Out!--the admiration and the likeness only go so far. It's more feel and production than the actual product. Flaherty's wailing sax lines and Colbourne's hectic cool behind the drum kit produce 8 jazz sides that are unparalleled even by Flaherty's work with drummer-of-the-moment Chris Corsano.

Any rust the pair have is nigh apparent throughout this reunion. Cliches of 'riding a bike' and 'easy as pie' may fit the bill but it's better to focus on how far the duo has come. Time apart found both honing their craft in unique settings: Flaherty by gigging with any taker; Colbourne by painstaking seclusion. The familiarity does Flaherty good--he reigns in some of his long-winded avant stanzas for more traditional jazz composition even if Bridge Out! is jazz at its highest improvised level. Colbourne's self-sentence to clarinet has not taken away his skill behind the snare and toms. What he lacks in bombasity he makes up for with quick-witted rhythm.

Each man stand on their own two feet within Bridge Out! but their separation has not weakened their symbiosis. Mind reading may be the subject of science fiction but eith each listen of Bridge Out!, it's hard to fathom Flaherty and Colbourne without the ability to communication through musical telekenesis.


Highlights: "Marauding Toxic Fungus", "Thirsty Thorns"

Similar Sounds: Tigersmilk, Flaherty/Corsano, Time Out