"The sax player Theo Travis has during the last ten years positioned himself as a well-reputed musician who has played with such varied artists as Gong, David Sylvian, Anja Garbarek, The Tangent and Porcupine Tree. His strength has always been his ability to sound convincing regardless of genre, and he always expands his own horizon and dares to challenge the often jazz-oriented sound of the saxophone.
Double Talk is the follow-up to the fine debut album Earth To Ether, and in an elegant way combines elements from his work within both jazz and rock. He mixes and experiments turns up with his own personal combination of "progressive jazz", which sounds like no one else. Travis is joined by a great bunch of musicians on drums, Hammond and guitar, and none other than the old fox Robert Fripp contributes with his characteristic "soundscapes", which contributes to expanding the sonic palette. The tracks are varied in expression, and even though each stand well on their own and can stylistically we far apart, they still sound as part of a whole.
Travis manages in an exceptional way to combine a minimalistic rock attitude with post-bob jazz. He manages to make a few tones stand out with strength in an ensemble setting, and his lyrical qualities and attention in connection with details is impressive.
Many of the tracks are lingering with a great sense of space, which are conjured up by layers of flute, sax with or without effects, swirling organ, tight jazz chords, plus wonderful textures from Fripp. In all its beautiful simplicity, this demands a lot of hard work, and it is evident that Travis (and Fripp) knows what it takes to make a few "simple" tones create atmosphere, and that this is just as difficult as playing more complex music.
But Travis et co. also take time to rock it with an unexpected cover of the Pink Floyd classic "See Emily Play". Purists may turn their nose up at the fact that wah-wah sax is replacing Barrett's characteristic vocal, but Travis comes out on top. The last track, "Portobello '67" also stands out. In many ways, this is a journey back to the sixties with its charming pop approach with light Hammond and guitar. A beautiful ending to a great album.
Sven Eriksen"
