Two is the alto saxes duo of Portuguese, Lisbon-based free improviser Bruno Parrinha (who is also a clarinetist), known for his collaborative work with fellow Portuguese improvisers like Ernesto Rodrigues, Luis Lopes and Sei Miguel, playing on the right channel, and fellow Portuguese, Copenhagen-based João Gato, who is a generation younger than Parrinha and is a former student of American trumpeter Peter Evans, Danish sax hero Lotte Anker and Brazilian sax player Yedo Gibson, playing on the left channel.
The album, which was officially released on February 2, is titled after the first and smallest even prime number, signifying divisibility by both one and itself. Two is a fundamental concept in mathematics, associated with duality, symmetry and balance, providing an advantage in problem-solving, as it allows comparison, choice and contrast. The eleven free improvised pieces present Gato and Parrinha’s urgent and bold attempts to borrow this mathematical concept to their own dynamics and explore the sonic possibilities of matching instruments that share the same, resonant register, and balance their voices while investigating their instruments’ timbral qualities and their distinct, extended breathing techniques. These conversational, argumentative improvisations are rich with nuanced, controversial and challenging ideas, disagreements and distressing dilemmas that emphasize sharp instincts and deep listening and only make these dynamics more interesting, as these resourceful musicians often transform these arguments into poetic, instant compositions.
Trafiklys (traffic lights in Danish) is Gato’s duo with fellow Portuguese young vibes player Duarte Ventura was recorded at Timbuktu Studios in Lisbon in July 2023. This duo explores the elusive tension between improvisational and compositional strategies through eight short pieces that attempt to abolish the distinction between the soloist and the composer’s roles in immediate, playful, gentle and non-hierarchical dynamics. Gato and Ventura are rooted and well-versed in the jazz legacy but search for their own personal and spontaneous language that subverts familiar roles and expectations.
Eyal Hareuveni
Bruno Parrinha (alto Saxophone), João Gato (alto saxophone), Duarte Ventura (vibraphone)
