Brazilian saxophonist Ivo Perelman assembled this free jazz crack team during one of his jaunts to America. Apparently Balazs Pandi pounds the skin so fiercely that Perelman was impressed and overwhelmed at the same time. Watching him play with Slobber Pup at The Stone was enough to motivate the saxophonist to make an album of free music. No charts, no plan, no themes, just playing. One is a pretty fierce album. Pandi plays more like a rock/fusion drummer than a jazzy one, though hard bop elements can be found in his style. Joe Morris, who normally plays guitar, is playing bass on One.
The album starts as if you were opening a door on the jam sessions. It really feels like the start of the first track “Freedom” is happening right in the middle of things. The album starts with high energy and never dips along the way. It’s the kind of release that will never change the minds of, say, Ornette Coleman haters, but those people would never approach these three names in the first place. One is for people who like a healthy dose of dirt in their improv.