Ivo

For his recording debut, Ivo Perelman performs seven folk melodies, five of which are traditional Brazilian children's songs. A powerful tenor player whose style and sound at times recalls Albert Ayler (without the vibrato), Gato Barbieri, and Clifford Jordan, Perelman uses the simple melodies as points of departure and places to land after his intense and fairly free but melodic improvisations. The first three songs co-feature vocalist Flora Purim, who is at the top of her game on the haunting "Nesta Rua" and the lighthearted but explorative "O Cravo e a Rosa." Two of the other pieces have Perelman dueting with pianist Eliane Elias. The two bassists, John Patitucci and Buell Neidlinger, work together quite well. Don Preston takes a wild synthesizer solo on "O Cravo e a Rosa," and both drummer Peter Erskine and percussionist Airto are colorful in support. But the main star throughout the CD is Ivo Perelman, whose distinctive sound, relative ease in the falsetto register, and creative spirit were already quite impressive at this early point in his career.