Ivo Perelman on the land of jazz
Brazilian saxophonist, settled in the USA for 20 years, pursues avant-guarde music
Carlos Calado
23/04/2001
Ivo Perelman has released 24 CDs on the international market and enjoys prestige in the vanguard jazz and new music circles around the world. Specialized magazines like Down Beat, Cadence and Straight No Chaser have praised him. Living in the USA since 1981, when he headed for Boston (Berklee School), Perelman, now 40 years old, was born in São Paulo. He studied instruments like guitar, piano, cello, trombone and clarinet until settling with the tenor sax.
Ironically, since he left Brazil, Perelman never performed in the country again. "My Brazilian background almost doesn't influence my music", says Ivo, who debuted in the music industry in 1989 with the album Ivo (K2B2 Records). Accompanied by jazz and instrumental music stars like drummer Peter Erskine, bassist John Patitucci, pianist Eliane Elias and percussionist Airto Moreira, Perelman improvises on old Brazilian folk songs in a vanguard fashion that Americans usually refer to as free jazz or new music.
Although the relative "brazility" dose has helped imprint his musical trademark on a first moment, Perelman is now distant from that phase. "That was just one step. I have got to be faithful to what excites me. What attracts me today is timbres, sax quartets, etc...", he says, revealing that his upcoming album (on American label Box Holder Records) shall feature two drum sets and two double-basses accompanying his saxophone.
Spitting paint
The fact that avant-garde music is not very appreciated in Brazil or Europe does not bother him, although he does whatever is possible to make his albums available in Brazil. The next one will be named Sieiro, originally released on Leo Records and coming out in Brazil on Atração Fonográfica. The Brazilian label will produce a new cover and booklet with paintings by Perelman, based upon Jackson Pollock's action painting. "I throw the paint on the canvas, use my fingers, sometimes I'll even spit non-toxic paint on it", he explains, while making a connection between that type of paiting with the type of random music that he makes.
Working with a restrictive kind of music, whose pretige in the specialized press does not match the opportunities to perform it live, Perelman usually plays about 30 concerts a year. On the other hand, his discography is larger than that of most jazz musicians from his generation. "A guy like Joshua Redman works with major labels. That's an unknown world, to me", he admits. Making his albums with tiny budgets, in cheap studios and three-hour periods, Perelman managed to record one of them (The Eye Listens) in one hour.
"While people are willing to pay for my recording sessions, I will go on making albums, because I love to. Besides being a magical experience, in my case, recording equals growth when it comes to the art that I'm involved with. Thanks to the recordings, I am able to evaluate where my music is going", says the saxophonist.
Ironically, since he left Brazil, Perelman never performed in the country again. "My Brazilian background almost doesn't influence my music", says Ivo, who debuted in the music industry in 1989 with the album Ivo (K2B2 Records). Accompanied by jazz and instrumental music stars like drummer Peter Erskine, bassist John Patitucci, pianist Eliane Elias and percussionist Airto Moreira, Perelman improvises on old Brazilian folk songs in a vanguard fashion that Americans usually refer to as free jazz or new music.
Although the relative "brazility" dose has helped imprint his musical trademark on a first moment, Perelman is now distant from that phase. "That was just one step. I have got to be faithful to what excites me. What attracts me today is timbres, sax quartets, etc...", he says, revealing that his upcoming album (on American label Box Holder Records) shall feature two drum sets and two double-basses accompanying his saxophone.
Spitting paint
The fact that avant-garde music is not very appreciated in Brazil or Europe does not bother him, although he does whatever is possible to make his albums available in Brazil. The next one will be named Sieiro, originally released on Leo Records and coming out in Brazil on Atração Fonográfica. The Brazilian label will produce a new cover and booklet with paintings by Perelman, based upon Jackson Pollock's action painting. "I throw the paint on the canvas, use my fingers, sometimes I'll even spit non-toxic paint on it", he explains, while making a connection between that type of paiting with the type of random music that he makes.
Working with a restrictive kind of music, whose pretige in the specialized press does not match the opportunities to perform it live, Perelman usually plays about 30 concerts a year. On the other hand, his discography is larger than that of most jazz musicians from his generation. "A guy like Joshua Redman works with major labels. That's an unknown world, to me", he admits. Making his albums with tiny budgets, in cheap studios and three-hour periods, Perelman managed to record one of them (The Eye Listens) in one hour.
"While people are willing to pay for my recording sessions, I will go on making albums, because I love to. Besides being a magical experience, in my case, recording equals growth when it comes to the art that I'm involved with. Thanks to the recordings, I am able to evaluate where my music is going", says the saxophonist.