George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell - Voyage And Homecoming (2019)

This meeting of the two pillars of the AACM (Association for the Promotion of Creative Musicians) takes place unevenly, which can be explained by the disparate nature of each of the three parts presented here.
"Quanta" basically contrasts Roscoe Mitchell's soprano saxophone with the sounds created by George Lewis through a laptop. The saxophonist's shrill squeak is alternately uncertain and plaintive, while Lewis performs rather traditional music. As the results of the latter become more ominous, these two start to sound wrong. As if sensing a discrepancy, Mitchell becomes more animated, encouraging his longtime collaborator to join the maelstrom of events.
Much more fascinating is “Voyager”, when an interactive computer program created by Lewis activates an acoustic piano. After a piano solo based on classical folk language, Lewis uses an instrument with thoughtful and rhythmic trombone phrases. Mitchell performs his own part, this time on viola, enjoying the opportunity to challenge the program and test it. The piece ends with a fragment from the trio, in which a new ingredient is added - humor, successfully processed by an interactive computer-pianist. What is most impressive is that without prior knowledge of the playback process, it would be impossible for the listener to assume that a non-human can play the piano. Computers, however, are set aside for a closer “Homecoming.” Lewis' initial animated musings end with a prolonged growl that invites Mitchell (soprano) to engage in dialogue. Their exchange of opinions, at first barely perceptible, is gradually gaining momentum — always fascinating. - downbeat