Akira Sakata & Giovanni Di Domenico "Iruman" review @ Jazz Word

Ken Waxman writes: "With a background that includes memories of Third World melodies as well as education in Jazz and European classical music, it takes a little while for Di Domenico’s moderato tinkling and low-frequency runs to toughen here. Meantime Sakata, who has been a major force in Japanese Free Music since the late 1960s and recently has worked with everyone from drummer Chris Corsano to bassist Bill Laswell, moves among harsh alto saxophone bites, contralto clarinet smears, implement shaking and an Orientialized variant of throat-singing. This vocalizing and bell-shaking, which mixes vocalese with off-key groaning and crying is featured most on “Papiruma/Papiruma”; while Di Domenico’s sparkling glissandi make a perfect foil for Sakata’s surprisingly mellow sax lines on “Sukiyazukuri No Tatazumai/The Peaceful Atmosphere of a Wood Sukiya-style Temple”. Having gained in assurance as well, it seems, Di Domenico exposes galloping key clanks that effectively counter Sakata’s split tones and sound shards by the time “Moe I/Bud I” comes around. 

Nonetheless, the preceding nine tracks are merely preludes to the quarter-hour plus “Moe II/Bud II” that moves through several exhilarating sequences where the keyboardist’s pile-driver flair is easily the match for the saxman’s violent split-tone attack. Turning to keyboard pressure as a proper response to Sakata’s wriggling and honking vibrations, a crescendo of circular patterning by Di Domenico is attained then subsides along with Sakata’s response. A distinctive coda involving the pianist’s well-calculated sweeps subtly complements the reedist’s conclusive peeps which are high-pitched, yet manage not to disrupt the narrative".