Bill Dixon: Papyrus Vol. II

Papyrus Volume 2
Bill Dixon - trumpet
Tony Oxley - percussion
Soul Note, 1999

If it's possible to say so, then this is a "typical" Dixon record. Which is to say that it's impossibly slow and excruciatingly sparse- and I mean that as a compliment. His work presents a challenge in a way that few others do: rather than attack you with a barrage of sounds, Dixon has a real minimalist approach. It's so slow and sparse that I can't really tell if there are any "heads" present or if it's all improvised. And these pieces seem to all eschew the idea of creating a beginning, middle and end - something many improvisers work very hard to achieve. Instead, they're all middle. There's almost nothing to hook a listener- no melody, no pulsing rhythm, almost no sounds that typically come from a trumpet or drum set. So when I line this up next to, for instance, Brotzmann's Machine Gun, I have to say that Papyrus Vol. II is a far more challenging listen.

Tony Oxley is an excellent accompanist on this record employing a variety of scrapes and clashes that keep the overall sound fresh and interesting. How he knows what to do with what Dixon plays is beyond me. When he drops out, which is frequently, he leaves space for Dixon to take what must be the most strange and out trumpet solos in the history of music.

Dixon has mastered extended technique for his horn which is in evidence with fast little runs in the highest register followed by the lowest pedal tones - for which your mother would probably scold him for being obscene.

Dixon also overdubs trumpet and piano on a couple of tunes as well as bookends the record with solo piano pieces that seem to exactly translate his music to that instrument. As if this record needed to be any weirder.

Dixon is in a class by himself and personally I find his music fascinating. With that said, I don't know how strongly I can recommend this record. If you like really out music, music that makes Ascension and Free Jazz sound like Top 40 records, you should check this out. Perhaps this is musicians' music? I don't know. Like I said, I love this stuff but I can see how it would not be interesting to others.