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Karl Berger and Dom Minasi: Synchronicity

By Eyal Hareuveni
May 23, 2012
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Karl Berger and Dom Minasi: Synchronicity

Pianist/vibraphonist Karl Berger and guitarist

Dom Minasi

guitar
1943 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Dom Minasi are both forward-thinking and experienced composers, improvisers and educators, with discographies that goes back to the 1960s—including, in the case of Berger, collaborations with

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman,

Don Cherry

trumpet
1936 - 1995

" data-original-title="" title="">Don Cherry and

Don Cherry

trumpet
1936 - 1995

" data-original-title="" title="">Don Cherry; and, with Minasi, 1970s work with

Joe McPhee

woodwinds
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe McPhee and

Matthew Shipp

piano
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Matthew Shipp.

Synchronicity's twelve freely improvised duets were recorded in 2010 at Berger's Woodstock studio. All rely on an emphatic and patient interplay that stresses the melodic and harmonic avenues of such a coupling, as well as the breadth of the pair's musical vocabularies.

Their improvising styles may differ—Berger's playing possesses a strong rhythmic edge, even when he plays the piano, while Minasi attempts to sketch loose sonic structures—but their mutual respect and deep listening turn the immediate and urgent interplay into cohesive pieces of music. The symbolic "Chop-Chop" is a good example of the duo's attitude, Berger busy exploring different fractured rhythms while Minasi investigates extended techniques of fretting the guitar strings; but both always respond to each other, never losing the intensity of such an interaction built from scratch.

Some improvisations emphasize an abstract sound ("Waterfall." Others as "Thursday's Child," "She" and "Prophesy"), developing like a stories with many nuances and twists in the thrilling plots, while "Bach?" is a playfully distorted interpretation of themes associated with Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

A masterful set of improvisation.

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Track Listing

Dancing On The Stars; Echoes; Chop-Chop; Waterfall; Thursday's Child; Hurry! Hurry!; She; Bell Tower; Synchronicity; Prophesy; Goodbye; Bach?.

Personnel

Karl Berger

vibraphone

Dom Minasi

guitar

Karl Berger: vibes, piano; Dom Minasi: Carlo Greco custom L5 archtop guitar.

Album information

Title: Synchronicity | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: Nacht records

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