Matthew Welch & Craig Colorusso

The combination of alto saxophone and guitar might seem a little simple at first but in the hands of these two experienced improvisers, there is much to pore over and absorb. The reason for that is the amount of space given to the music in this collaboration. Welch (on alto sax) and Colorusso (on guitar) are no strangers to modern compositions but they don’t rush anything. Every sax note is left to waft through the air, pushing the fragile nature of the music to the forefront. And, just like Welch’s sax, Colorusso doesn’t showcase any guitar pyrotechnics, as it’s mostly comprised of simple notes being repeated, but it is the combination of the two that transforms the music. Split into two parts, the first one plays with the sax’s atonality and note mutation a bit more, but its pace is still unrushed and languid. The better second half cracks open the collaboration and the instruments are left to hang and bloom in a gorgeously carefree way. Inspiring in its simplicity, though by no means simple, this is deceptively still water that runs very deep.