In yesteryear, the rare recording of a bassist and drummer would likely be of limited artistic value. Producer Martin Davidson muses in the liners that such a combination "would probably only have been issued on the Music Minus One label for aspiring musicians to play along with." That is certainly not the case on Nisus Duets. While this music is not for every taste, those who revel in the sort of free improvisation for which the Emanem label is known should not overlook it. British percussionist Mark Sanders and bassist John Edwards might be viewed as a sort of house rhythm section for Emanem: they play an integral role on many recordings, including ones with Evan Parker, Veryan Weston, and Elton Dean. Noted for their consistently high-quality improvisations, Edwards and Sanders are part of a small but intense and growing coterie of virtuosic performers who take their instruments to a new level of performance by discarding or at least altering historical notions of accepted technique and harmonic evolution. There is a pristine beauty to their playing here that, remarkably, never gets tiresome -- remarkably, because it is hard to imagine an acoustic bass and drums creating such a diversity of sounds. Edwards plays second fiddle to no one, as he soars to creative heights matched by few. His strings sing sonorously, but they just as often strum wickedly, call piercingly, and complement percussively. Likewise, Sanders squeezes little sounds from his kit that question the tradition of jazz drumming. The ride is an exhausting though inspiring one, and anyone interested in exploring the limits of the bass and drums or the potential of these two "instruments" to interact in new and creative ways should be pleased with these fascinating and often inspiring works of astonishing beauty. ~ Steven Loewy, Rovi

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