Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Markus Eichenberger & Christoph Gallio: Unison Polyphony

Markus Eichenberger & Christoph Gallio: Unison Polyphony

By John Eyles
October 21, 2022
View read count

Unison Polyphony features two renowned Swiss players,

Markus Eichenberger

clarinet

" data-original-title="" title="">Markus Eichenberger on clarinet and

" data-original-title="" title="">Christoph Gallio on saxophones. Considering that both were born in 1957 and first played together in the '80s, it is somewhat surprising that this is their first recording together. However, given the instruments they play, it is less surprising as duos of reed instruments are scarce. Yes,

The International Nothing

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.2000

" data-original-title="" title="">The International Nothing duo of Kai Fagaschinski and Michael Thieke on clarinets springs to mind as does the bass clarinet pairing of

Katie Porter

clarinet, bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Katie Porter and Lucio Capece. While saxophones and clarinets frequently play together in larger ensembles, Eichenberger and Gallio seem to be breaking new ground here...

Studio-recorded in Baden, Switzerland, over two June days in 2020, the album comprises ten tracks with a total running time of forty-one minutes, the shortest track lasting thirty-five seconds, the longest eight-and-a-half minutes. All are duos, including the seventy-eight second "Update" which is exceptional as it is fully composed. As the sleeve notes point out, this is neither a supportive duo, in which one player backs another, nor a conversational duo, where the players call and respond, reacting to one another. Instead, the two both play throughout, with occasional gaps, clearly aware of one another's playing without copying it or getting in one another's way. Much of the time they play improvised melodic phrases which are easy on the ear and make pleasurable listening.

Consequently, the album title Unison Polyphony is something of an oxymoron as its two words rather contradict each other. Yes, there is polyphony as the two independent melodic lines complement one another. However, the two lines are never close enough to each other to be described as in "unison." The sleeve notes try to get around this by arguing that 1+1=1, meaning that the two instrumental lines combine into one. With one being saxophone and the other clarinet, that does not really hold water. Putting such pedantry aside, and judging the album on its music rather than its title, Unison Polyphony is an undoubted success, to the extent that we must hope this twosome records again soon.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

New ways; When the Day is Short; When the Day is Long; How to Sleep Better; How Does My Cat Think; Strange Cave System; Gifts of the Artists; Update; A Walkable Swamp; The Balance of a Clay Figure.

Personnel

Markus Eichenberger

clarinet

Christoph Gallio

saxophone, soprano

Additional Instrumentation

Christoph Gallio: C-melody saxophone (6).

Album information

Title: Unison Polyphony | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Ezz-thetics

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Live music from Igor Wilcox, Third R...
< Previous

Once Around the Room
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.