One of the great elder statesmen of European improvised music, Guy has done some of his best work in orchestral settings over the years, but these two duos with very different musical personalities are powerful reminders of both his immense virtuosity and sharp reflexes in a stripped down, exposed context. Which means that the structural breadth, as well as sonic invention of the performances, is all the clearer, and Guy’s advanced dynamics, taking him from fluttering mandolin-like delicacy to big rollicking bottom end to blurring chords, have a good foil in Lopez’s sensitive but strident percussion. He sometimes impressively plays tabla and drum kit simultaneously. There is an arresting quality in Guy’s arco playing – as he is able to make the wood of his instrument growl potently – that brings beauty in austerity to the table, especially when cast against the damp thudding of Lopez’s bass drum. The Evans session often has a more volatile if not explosive character and the premise itself calls for more sustained ‘active interchange’ as each piece is titled after two colours i.e. ‘Red Green’, ‘White Red’ and Black Grey.’ The blending of the two instruments is more stark than on the aforementioned album, and Evans’ textures, which run from grated, gravelly notes to seismic overtones to vocalised motifs, are met with a suitably robust set of responses. In terms of the sound palette created the results are satisfying, as the ability of the players to bounce ideas off each other with great immediacy and urgency is well to the fore. That said, the wealth of ideas is occasionally overwhelming and the moments of restraint that do punctuate the music could have been more frequent, or longer, so as to let the material breathe. Evans’ upper-register work is striking as he comes very close to the piercing quality of a reed instrument, such as a soprano saxophone. Yet he sometimes has an excessive velocity in his attack which is not always necessary. The limitless creative possibilities of these players is thus a double-edged sword, cutting towards great exaltation and also middling stagnation.