Filip Bukrshliev and Blagojche Tomevski - Something Lonely in the Bone (PMGJAZZ, 2023) *****

By Gary Chapin

In a conversation, the great improviser Tom Cora explained why he chose the cello, told me that he loved the way you can “shape the envelope of the sound” of the cello so extravagantly, more than any instrument other than electric guitar. I’ve seen this argument born out again and again over the years, both in cellists and guitarists. When I first heard Filip Bukrshliev’s All the Sad Words in the Beggar’s Dictionary, Bukrshliev’s ability to shape the envelope immediately stood out to me, like he was doing sculpture with the air. It was an extravagant blend of guitaristics, production, composition, and improvisation.

In this duo with bass clarinetist Blagojche Tomevski, Bukrshliev has a partner in the landscaping or scene setting (yes, I know I’m mixing metaphors). There’s a less extravagant approach, the range of sound spaces is narrower here, by choice, but it’s not less masterful.

The duets are a series of jazz/out/cinematic pieces in which Bukrshliev’s guitar hangs out at dirty, mid-60s y Cubanoguitar timbre, not unlike one of Marc Ribot’s favorite settings, while Tomevski plays right up close. A huge dynamic and emotional spectrum is open to the two.

As much as it’s a beloved instrument, the bass clarinet is—as Tom Waits might put it—kind of a character, and Tomevski plays that angle brilliantly. The two opening tracks, “It Was the Time of Year” and “The Time of Day,” are short intros to the relationship, with guitar doing a sort of mouthy rhythm — like in movies where they say, “The setting is a character” — and the bass clarinet letting us slowly get to know it. The longer tracks that follow have more of an aria quality to them. We’re exploring the emotional realm, not moving the plot along.

Setting aside my own poetics — which is how I make sense of things — this is a fantastic duo playing genuinely unique and moving music, with wonderful unarticulated stories. Five stars.