Tenor saxophonist Perelman’s commitment to composing spontaneously and expanding his range of collaborators usually has a specific premise. These two sessions see him engage with a ‘violin family’ whose representatives act far from expectations of a classical string group. As one has come to expect from Perelman over the years the investment in playing right on the razor’s edge of interactivity is undimmed, and there are certainly moments when the chemistry between him, Mat Maneri, Mark Feldman and Jason Hwang on Strings 1 forces you to prick up your ears. But ultimately the session doesn’t reach the high bar of previous work. There is too much overlap between the two violins and, strangely, too little scope in Perelman’s phrasing and tonal choices to push the material beyond a kind of tentative experiment into a fully realised communicative exchange. Strings 2, on the other hand, is a bold, cohesive affair. The textural spectrum is well balanced and the presence of Ned Rothenberg’s bass clarinet and Hank Roberts’ cello seems to draw a sharp focus from the other players. There is notably less skittishness and greater clarity in the melodic lines and counterpoint that makes the music that much more palatable, and the decision-making of each member of the ensemble is astute. Roberts and Rothenberg, in particular, spar with long, wavering tones without flooding the low register, with the latter apt at supplementing his heavier gurgles with lighter, sensual whispers that are strikingly effective. The restraint makes the moments of explosive emphasis memorably impactful. There is a case to be made for a compilation of the highlights of these two CDs, but that would betray Perelman’s ethos. Taken together they show the rigours and pitfalls of his process, as well as the triumphs.