Sax, Drum Mix Makes Sublime Music

A duo combination of saxophone and drums doesn’t appear to hold much promise for musical variation. But when the players are the versatile English saxophonist-woodwind artist John Surman and drummer Jack DeJohnette (known for his work with Miles Davis and, currently, the Keith Jarrett Trio), the instrumentation--enhanced by additional sounds--can produce impressive results.

On Saturday night at the Conga Room, DeJohnette’s drum kit included a variety of exotic percussion, and the piano, his second instrument, was close by.

Surman stood by a table holding a bass clarinet, a soprano saxophone, a synth keyboard and more, and his primary horn, the baritone saxophone, stood ready for action.

Most of the pieces appeared to be improvisations, similar to those included in the duo’s just-released ECM album, “Invisible Nature.” But DeJohnette and Surman have been working together long enough to have developed patterns, phrases and repetitions, most of which emerged via a simple shift of emphasis from one or the other player. And, although the results occasionally drifted into the totally open universe of free jazz improvisation, most of the pieces were either structured around familiar song forms or floated above a roiling ostinato bottom.

On one untitled work, for example, Surman played a fairly non-specific harmonic pattern on his synth keyboard, then looped it so it would continue to play by itself. He then laid out a melody on his soprano saxophone, including a middle-section bridge that placed the repeated harmonies in a different context, and--supported by DeJohnette’s funk-driven drumming--generated a foot-tapping, hard-swinging set of choruses that had the moderate-sized audience shouting its enthusiasm.

When DeJohnette moved to the piano for a touching rendition of John Coltrane’s “After the Rain,” the duo offered a vastly different, equally appealing perspective on their intricate musical partnership.

Each also offered superb individual solos. In his spotlight outings, DeJohnette certified that he is the quintessential example of a fully rounded musical drummer. And Surman, not as well known in this country as he should be, brought a vivid blend of graceful elegance and probing inventiveness to everything he played.