by François CoutureI Am Happy If You Are Happy was recorded on October 13, 1999, in Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, the day before Günter Müller and Taku Sugimoto performed as a trio with guitarist Keith Rowe at Les Instants Chavirés for a concert released under the title"The World Upside Down" on Erstwhile Records. Still, the two performances are very different. Not stimulated by Rowe's harsh tabletop guitar, the two improvisers weaved impressive soft and intimate textures. As usual, Müller uses mini-discs, electronic devices, and selected drums, which usually translates to one or two floor toms with contact microphones. The surprise factor in this CD's equation is Taku Sugimoto, still relatively unknown at the time. The guitarist's minimal and strikingly tonal approach would destabilize any free improv fan. He plays one or two notes at a time, slowly and softly putting together linear melodies that are reminiscent in various ways of Loren Mazzacane Connors (but with a cleaner sound) and Ben Monder (but more sedate). Müller dives into Sugimoto's universe, providing intriguing loops and soft percussion that sounds at times vaguely ambient, at other slightly exotic. Time stands still during these six hypnotic improvisations. I Am Happy If You Are Happy provides a surprising sense of peace, which doesn't rule out excitement, in the same vein as Müller's CD with Lê Quan Ninh La Voyelle Liquide, with the added tonal touch.