Several documents an unconventional duo – American, New York-based tenor sax player Anna Webber and Berlin-based trombonist Weston Olencki, recorded in Western Massachusetts in December 2020. The album is a series of five freely improvised and intimate duets that investigate the resonating sonic palettes of Webber’s sax and Olencki’s trombone and, obviously, experiment with extended breathing techniques while challenging their personal approaches. Webber recorded before Olencki’s historically-driven sound work (Old Time Music, Tripticks Tapes, 2022)

Olencki is known for his powerful playing and «clear the room» sound, but some of his articulations are surprisingly more reserved and even melodic. Webber who often uses improvisation as an instant, structured composition pushes her tenor sax saxophone into outer, abstract terrains. Olencki and Weber keep feeding each other with eccentric ideas, pushing each other into beautifully, unchartered and fascinating territories.

The music moves from the urgent and playful «champion donut» to the radical and otherworldly play of breaths, silences and plops of «cooks (unlimited)», visit post-bop territories on the chatty  «St. James St.» and touch on fractured, minimalist melodies in «Two Harmonies» and concluding with «Longie» that gravitates from quiet and abstract, almost industrial sounds to intense, full blast free jazz attacks. Several is released in a limited edition of 200 cassettes on Transparent Red shells.

Eyal Hareuveni

Anna Webber (saxophone), Weston Olencki (trombone)