CARTWRIGHT, GEORGE & DAVU SERU - RAG (LP)

"Rag captures the best from a series of freely improvised meetings between saxophonist George Cartwright and percussionist Davu Seru, recorded at various Minneapolis venues over the course of 2009. Cartwright - longtime leader of Curlew, and owner of a musical c.v. which includes Ornette Coleman, Half Japanese, Alex Chilton and Loren Mazzacane - can be restlessly melodic or jaggedly guttural on the reeds, although his bedrock lyricism is never far from the surface. Seru's playing is a trompe l'oreille marriage of forward motion and suspended stasis; over the past decade, he's performed with Milo Fine, Paul Metzger and Evan Parker, among others. From the anthemic opening of "Titus" to the miniature coda of "I Think Eudora Knows," Rag is a lively dialogue between two masters of their craft. Released in an edition of 300 copies on colored vinyl, each with a unique cover print by Anne Elias and a digital download coupon." (label info)