Gavin Harrison & Antoine Fafard - 2024 - Perpetual Mutations
(46:05; Harmonic Heresy)
Here we have the second collaboration between drummer Gavin Harrison and guitarist Antoine Fafard. Harrison is best known for his work with Porcupine Tree, Pineapple Thief and King Crimson while Fafard is a well-known guitarist and bassist who has released multiple solo albums. They first collaborated on 2020’s ‘Chemical Reactions’, and they decided with this album to deliberately not follow the same musical path so brought in other musicians and instruments which were not previously featured.
One of the things which is fascinating about this release is that this never feels like a duo and session musicians, but much more like a band project with everyone getting their chance to shine. Each song is based on the dynamic drumming of Harrison, which at times feel so laid back and in the pocket that he is almost horizontal, alongside the warm fretless bass of Fafard. Together they create the platform for everyone else to shine, whether it is piano, keyboards, or even cello (which is particularly dominant on both “Deadpan Euphoria” and “Pentalogic Structure”). This is not an improvised album, but rather one which has been carefully scored and arranged while also ensuring every note is actually played with forethought and care. JRF is the order of the day, with some eclectic thrown in, but it is also light and with plenty of space and the listener never really sure where it is going to lead. Album opener “Dark Wind” is funk but taken in new directions with the use of marimba and saxophone laid over the top while the horns swell and create a backdrop for others to play against. The arrangements are complex yet at times simplistic, created in a way that allows the music to really breathe among the multiple strands. This album is a real grower in that the more it is played the more the listener gets from it and let us hope it is not another four years until the next one.
Kev Rowland, January 2025
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