Akira Sakata / Simon Nabatov - Not Seeing is a Flower

Although divided into five tracks, this live set—recorded at Jazz Spot Candy in the Chiba prefecture just east of Tokyo during November 2017—sounds like a continuous improvisation, with only the closing “Abscond” seeming separate. It’s a fine example of international collaboration on the improvising front.

Only three minutes into the opening tune, “Surge,” and Simon Nabatov’s piano is running cascades while Akira Sakata’s alto saxophone is molten—not so far removed from a Cecil Taylor/Jimmy Lyons sparring session. Sakata bends his screamed notes as he flies, his cohort reacting swiftly in accord.

All elements coalesce during “Resolve,” as Sakata ripples and races on clarinet, tightly focused on a clenched attack, his comrades locking into the thrilling, complicated route of the chase.

https://downbeat.com/reviews/detail/not-seeing-is-a-flower