Pacemaker

Lithuania saxophonist - here on contrabass and prepared clarinet, tenor and soprano saxophones - is a musician with many faces, ranging from the powerful free jazz of "Kablys" over the melodic and sensitive excursion with pianist Petras Geniusas, to the angular free improv with Barry Guy on "Lava". On "Pacemaker" he demonstrates yet another side of his art, now in the company of Christian Windfeld on prepared drum kit, drums, drums and cymbals. Windfeld is a Danish musician whose minimalst art tries to explores the full possibilities of one single instrument. Each side of the vinyl album presents one long improvisation, the first a quietly and slowly developing atmospheric piece in which both instruments play around and explore stretched notes and subtle variations on silence. Windfeld takes the lead by setting the tone of the piece, with Mockūnas cleverly exploring the percussive possibilities of his wind instruments, by having repeated staccato blows or in contrast lengthening his voiceless release to harmonise with the bowed cymbals or rubbed skins. Only occasionaly does his sax get its full voice and the effect is stunning against the minimalist backdrop. The second piece is introduced by Mockūnas with a melodic soprano solo that gradually invites the percussion in, and once on board, the tempo and the intensity increase for a short welcoming embrace, only to return to a more minimalist soundscape built around silence, after which the baton is handed back to Windfeld for a percussion outro, giving the piece a mirror effect. The LP comes in a limited and numbered edition, but is also available digitally.