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The Pace Report: "The Art of Freedom, Musically" The Ivo Perleman Interview

Saxophonist and artist Ivo Perelman has been a professional musician ever since he began playing classical guitar in his native Brazil since the early 1960's. As he got exposed to jazz he turned away from his deep classical roots and played instruments ranging from the cello to bass to clarinet.

It wasn't until he heard saxophonist Wayne Shorter's "Schizophrenia" that he wanted to play the saxophone. In fact, it wasn't until he was 16 when he found his voice and sound that he was searching for.

Ivo left for Boston where he attended Berklee School of Music where he continued to follow his musical pursuits. He then quit school and played in many bands before he moved to Los Angeles where he attended the Dick Grove School of Music where he earned a degree in composing. After composing and writing for years Ivo began playing and improvising. His decision musically led him to play free jazz where his composing began as a form of improvising.

Ivo has produced and released over 30 CDs in seven years including his latest recording "Heptagon" featuring longtime collaborator Matt Shipp on piano, William Parker on bass, and Bobby Kapp on drums.

I sat down with Ivo at ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn for his official record release to talk about free jazz, his collaboration with pianist Matt Shipp, and his what Albert Ayler means to him as a musical influence.