Two Voices Colliding in Real Time
Melford and Ehrlich test each other's reflexes, pushing into territory neither would reach alone.
Spark! is a duo record—Myra Melford on piano and Marty Ehrlich on reeds—and it moves fast. The opening track sets the tone: Melford's hands race across the keys in jagged clusters while Ehrlich cuts in with sharp, stabbing phrases. There's no rhythm section, no safety net. It's two improvisers listening hard and responding in real time, sometimes harmonizing, often clashing. The piano lines skip and tumble; the reeds wail, whistle, and growl. When they lock into sync, there's real momentum. When they don't, the tension is the point. This isn't smooth or polished. It's restless.
Melford has always worked outside conventional jazz structures, and this duo setting strips away even more scaffolding. You hear her touch clearly—she can shift from percussive attack to lyrical runs to near-ambient textures within seconds. Ehrlich matches that range, moving from breathy multiphonics to bebop-inflected lines to raw, almost primal sounds. Together they create a kind of musical argument that never resolves. Tracks breathe and spiral; some feel almost like chamber music, others pure energy release.
This is a record for listeners willing to sit with discomfort and surprise. It won't soundtrack your drive to work, and it doesn't offer easy answers. But if you're interested in what happens when two strong improvisers refuse to compromise or settle into patterns, Spark! delivers exactly that.
Who's playing
Myra Melfordpiano
Marty Ehrlichreeds
