| Jazz moderne |
There are albums that ask to be understood, and there are albums that ask simply to be experienced. Triacontagon, the remarkable collaboration between saxophonist Ivo Perelman, guitarist Elliott Sharp and percussionist Cyro Baptista, undoubtedly belongs to the latter category. It is less a collection of six compositions than a constantly evolving organism whose shape changes before the listener’s ears, revealing new colours and new relationships with every return.
Named after the thirty-sided polygon, Triacontagon could hardly have found a more appropriate title. Like its geometric namesake, the music is built from countless interconnected facets. Every angle reveals another perspective, every shift in direction opens a new sonic landscape. Structure exists, but it is fluid rather than static, a fluidity that sometimes borders on a tsunami-like effect. The music grows organically, each musician constantly responding to the others in a remarkable act of collective invention.
For anyone familiar with these three extraordinary artists, the meeting almost seems inevitable.
Ivo Perelman has spent decades establishing himself as one of the defining voices of contemporary free improvisation. With well over a hundred recordings as leader, the Brazilian tenor saxophonist has developed an instantly recognisable language: passionate without becoming sentimental, lyrical without abandoning abstraction, capable of moving from whispered intimacy to volcanic eruptions of sound within a single breath.
Across from him stands Elliott Sharp, one of the true pioneers of New York’s experimental music scene. Whether composing algorithmic scores, exploring blues deconstructions or stretching the possibilities of the electric guitar far beyond conventional technique, Sharp has always treated sound as a laboratory. Here, his eight-string electric guitar rarely behaves like a guitar in the traditional sense. It growls, scratches, resonates, fractures, sings and occasionally disappears into textures so dense that instrument and electronics become inseparable.
Completing the triangle is the incomparable Cyro Baptista, whose approach to percussion has long transcended the simple role of timekeeper. Drawing equally from Brazilian traditions, avant-garde experimentation and theatrical performance, Baptista transforms rhythm into an almost ritualistic language. His astonishing collection of percussion instruments and his occasional vocal interventions inject mystery and primal energy into the music, giving Triacontagon much of its unmistakable identity.
Together, these three musicians create something that feels less like a jazz trio than an ecosystem. The opening “Dionysus in the Amazon” immediately establishes the album’s world. Rather than introducing themes in the traditional sense, the musicians appear to awaken an environment already alive, where dense vegetation, distant voices and electric currents coexist. Perelman’s tenor rises and disappears through Sharp’s shifting harmonic terrain while Baptista’s percussion seems to animate invisible creatures hidden within the undergrowth. The result is both exuberant and strangely hypnotic.
The magnificent “Sacred Geometry of the Tropics”, perhaps the album’s emotional centrepiece, perfectly illustrates the trio’s remarkable ability to reconcile opposites. Mathematical precision and intuitive freedom coexist effortlessly. Sharp constructs shimmering architectures while Perelman’s saxophone alternates between lyrical meditation and explosive cries. Beneath them, Baptista continuously reshapes the rhythmic landscape, refusing every predictable pulse.
If there is one piece that encapsulates the sheer joy of spontaneous creation, it is surely “Electric Bacchanalia.” True to its title, the performance unfolds like an ecstatic celebration. Perelman’s tenor reaches extraordinary levels of expressive intensity, Sharp unleashes torrents of electrified textures without ever overwhelming the ensemble, while Baptista’s inexhaustible rhythmic imagination propels the music forward with irresistible momentum.
The concluding “Disordered Continuum”, although considerably shorter than the preceding pieces, functions as a fascinating epilogue. Rather than offering resolution, it leaves doors open, suggesting that this musical journey could continue indefinitely beyond the final notes.
One of the album’s greatest achievements lies precisely in its refusal to conform to stylistic boundaries. Jazz certainly provides the musicians’ common vocabulary, but the conversation extends far beyond it. One can hear echoes of ritual music from around the world, electro-acoustic experimentation, contemporary jazz-fusion music, fiery rock, abstract sound sculpture and even moments that recall the hypnotic, explosive, or volcanic atmospheres of German Krautrock pioneers. At times, one is reminded of the exploratory spirit of Can or the anarchic creative freedom of Soft Machine. Yet these are only fleeting associations as Triacontagon ultimately belongs to no tradition other than its own.
Perhaps what makes the album so compelling is that, despite its intellectual sophistication, it never feels academic. Every gesture seems driven by instinct. Every sonic collision carries genuine emotional weight. Listening to Triacontagon is an act of exploration rather than passive consumption. Each return uncovers details previously unnoticed: an unexpected dialogue, a hidden harmonic resonance, an almost imperceptible exchange between percussion and guitar, or a melodic fragment suddenly illuminated by Perelman’s extraordinary tenor.
In an era when so much music is carefully calculated and stylistically categorised, Triacontagon reminds us that improvisation remains one of the most adventurous forms of artistic creation. It celebrates uncertainty, curiosity and collective imagination, demonstrating what can happen when three fearless musicians trust one another completely.
Triacontagon is a fascinating, uncompromising and deeply rewarding recording that refuses easy definition while offering immense rewards to listeners willing to surrender to its constantly shifting sonic universe.
Rather than simply documenting three exceptional improvisers playing together, Triacontagon captures the rare moment when three singular artistic personalities merge to create something genuinely new. It is one of those albums that does not merely ask to be heard, it invites repeated exploration, revealing fresh dimensions with every listening.
Frankie Pfeiffer
Editor in chief – PARIS-MOVE
PARIS-MOVE, July 22nd, 2026
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Musicians:
Ivo Perelman – tenor sax
Elliott Sharp – 8-string electric guitar
Cyro Baptista – percussion, vocals
Tracklisting:
Dionysus in the Amazon 11:26
Sacred Geometry of the Tropics 14:17
Inside a Broken Circle 10:26
Electric Bacchanalia 11:41
Irregular Forms in Humid Space 13:17
Disordered Continuum 06:05
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jim Clouse at Parkwest Studios, Brooklyn NY on 10/2024
Design ajax 19, photo by Eleonora Alberto
Produced by Iannis Koufaelas