behind closed doors

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London-based improvising saxophonist Simon Rose and I got together one afternoon to play freely.  Two alto saxophonists blowing their asses off simultaneously has the potential to be nauseating, but this encounter was really intuitive and refreshing.  We played completely free, a total improvisation without any set parameters or compositional ideas.  I like to do this  sort of thing with musicians I first meet, it’s like a handshake of sorts – you get to feel each other out on a whole other deeply personal level.  Afterward, I left the room feeling like a huge weight was lifted off my chest.  It’s kinda like therapy – music therapy for improvisers!

Listening back on the recording, it sounds like there are more than just two saxophonists playing at once.  I think that was the coolest part of this experience – bending reality so to speak.

simon rose – alto sax
curtis macdonald – alto sax

steps in the snow

Steps is a spontaneous collision of two musical minds and personalities. Nothing was pre-planned or discussed beforehand. There are moments of true musical telepathy that both slightly spooked and delighted us at the time. As is the nature of these sorts of musical encounters, the magic is in the moment. The process of unraveling each sonic thread takes you through unexpected twists and turns. It’s a real delight to find that your musical partner, if not following you every step of the way, is there to meet you at the next corner. We lost ourselves in the momentous magic of it all. Happily, the result was captured here in this recording.

-Katya Sourikova