“Fire Alarm” is an alarming sonic experience. The piece, recorded in one single unedited 45-minute take, shows two unique improvisors duetting at full tilt, revealing the depth of the musical connection they have built through seven years of collaboration. Todd Capp’s impossible polyrhythmic pulsations careen in all directions, while Kurt Ralske’s abstruse melodies circle back on themselves. No holds are barred in this dialogue, and its intensity sometimes feels dangerous; and yet, “Fire Alarm” is not formless: it’s a structured blast of energy, with recurring themes and dramatic shifts of texture. It begins with the sombre introspective quality of Art Ensemble of Chicago’s “People in Sorrow” and culminates in a climax hinting at the Mount Everest of sax-and-drum duets, John Coltrane’s “Interstellar Space”.
Does the “Fire Alarm” of the title refer to an alert that has not yet been sounded....or to an alarm that’s already been ringing for far too long? Either way, this music is a strong statement from two uncompromising artists, who show us they are fully committed to one ideal: now is the time for change to begin.
TODD CAPP (drums + cymbals) started in music in the mid-1960s in Chicago, playing with members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, including Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, Lester Bowie, and Douglas Ewart. He can be heard with the Berlin-based trio Oceans Roar 1000 Drums (with Bryan Eubanks and Andrew Lafkas), and leading his own long-standing ensemble, Todd Capp’s Mystery Train.
KURT RALSKE (soprano sax, flute, ney, vibraphone) is a musician and visual artist. He is a Professor of the Practice in Digital Media at Tufts University. In some previous incarnation, he was the driving force behind the dream-pop outfit Ultra Vivid Scene on the 4AD label.
1. Fire Alarm 44:42
Todd Capp (drums + cymbals)
Kurt Ralske (soprano sax, flute, ney, vibraphone)
