Record Reviews

JULIAN PRIESTER / SAM RIVERS ~ HINTS ON LIGHT AND SHADOW POSTCARDS 1017 (Barcode: 782737101723) ~ USA ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1996 Released: 1997 This is an album by the duo of American Jazz musicians: trombonist Julian PriesterFind albums by this artist and saxophonist / flautist / pianist Sam RiversFind albums by this artist. Electronic music creator Tucker MartineFind albums by this artist adds some background reverberations. The album presents nine tracks, six of which were co-composed by Priester and Rivers, two were composed by Rivers and finally one is credited to Martine. Both Priester and Rivers are iconic figures on the American Jazz scene, both on the mainstream and Free Jazz scenes, performing as members of the ensembles led by top Artists, but their most important recordings firmly belong to the Avant-Garde field. This duet recording is a wonderful example of the Free Jazz / Improvised Music genre, and presents a brilliant example of the “Art of the Duo” phenomenon, which is of course universal and possible in all musical environments. The music, although intensely improvised, offers enough melodic elements and coherency in order to be accessible to a relatively wide audience, but is not easy to follow by less trained ears. Patience and open-mindedness are very beneficial in order to get into this music, but once the border is crossed, it all makes perfect aesthetic sense. Overall, this is an Improvised Music meeting of two great Masters, which offers a lasting experience of music, which lost nothing of its intensity in the thirty years since it was recorded. Highly recommended to lovers of the genre.

Updated: 29/01/2026Posted: 29/01/2026

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