THE KING OF WEASLE IS CALLED EASLE
Dudu Pukwana | Misha Mengelberg | Han Bennink
Yi Yole
ICP : 1978

DP, alto sax, whistle; MM, piano; HB, trombone.

New Dutch Swing meets South African Ex-Pat and here’s what we get: a curious ten minutes. Bennink does not play any percussion. Mengelberg does his best to subvert the tune from within. And Pukwana sidles his way in between this well-established duo, insisting on a certain level of tunefulness. And somehow it all works.

While not a landmark recording in any of the career discographies of the three gentlemen here, it nevertheless is more than a mere curiosity. It’s very easy to hear how Mengelberg’s approach to “song” differs from Pukwana’s.  The former wants to constantly shake it up; the latter to strengthen the foundation and generate elegant momentum. Bennink is more onlooker than participant, which is an unusual enough position for him. It amounts to a highly entertaining intercontinental summit meeting.

We post this ICP label release today in advance of our digital reissue of the ICP Tentet in Berlin, coming to theD:O Store on Wednesday. Also coming: THE ICP ORCHESTRA, which begins an American tour this Wednesday with a concert in Baltimore, followed by gigs in New York (Thursday!), Austin, and Seattle, among other stops. Finally, these is news on that same ICP page to the effect that all ICP records will be available again, before the end of the year. If it comes to pass, this will be a boon to music lovers everywhere.