In the history of musical instruments, the questions asked are pretty standard: Who played it? What did they play? How did it evolve? Kelly Ruth’s instrument, the weaving loom, carries an entirely different kind of history. It brings to mind mythology, solitary artisans, beautiful textiles, and the dangers and exploitations of mass production in “dark,Continue reading “The Warp and Weft of Kelly Ruth”
Genre Archives
Sarah Hennies, Linguist in the Land of Noises
Identity is a deeply personal, elusive, and complex thing, and thus, a common source of creative fuel. Yet for the endless variety of discrete identities and individual perspectives on the topic, there is a dominant set of tropes around the way that identity is addressed artistically. The supposed concreteness of narrative is often turned to,Continue reading “Sarah Hennies, Linguist in the Land of Noises”
Stephanie Richards. Fullmoon.
Stephanie Richards, originally from Canada, has established herself as a trumpet player and composer while living in Brooklyn, where she’s collaborated with Butch Morris, John Zorn, and Henry Threadgill. She has expanded the trumpet’s sonic possibilities through extended techniques such as layering sounds emitted from the bell with close-miked valve noise. On Fullmoon, however, theContinue reading “Stephanie Richards. Fullmoon.”
Peggy Lee. Echo Painting.
Composer and cellist Peggy Lee has made major contributions to Vancouver music. She’s active in free-improvisation and chamber-music settings and much between and beyond; however, her identity grows much more distinct in her roles as bandleader and composer. She regularly leads octets, both the Peggy Lee Band and the cinematic Film in Music, and here,Continue reading “Peggy Lee. Echo Painting.”
Togetherness! Togetherness!
The Montreal-based band Togetherness! injects a shot of jubilant foot-patting rhythm into free-form improvisation. The band splashes a couple of trumpeter Ellwood Epps’ high-spirited compositions into the swirling pool of free-jazz, high-life, second-line, and brass-band creations that include material from the likes of Abdullah Ibrahim, Dudu Pukwana, and Mongezi Feza. Epps’ ebullient trumpet adds zestContinue reading “Togetherness! Togetherness!”
Sam Shalabi’s Land of Kush. Sand Enigma.
Sam Shalabi’s musical worlds are a collision of the Montreal Mile End art–noise–rock–improv scene and the bona fide craziness of Cairo—a city where societal and political instability weaves a shifting sand of death and beauty. It’s easy to see how the effect of these two influences have thoroughly permeated Shalabi’s take on the world, withContinue reading “Sam Shalabi’s Land of Kush. Sand Enigma.”
Spring 2018
Rasmussen, Dorji, Damon. To The Animal Kingdom.
To these ears, the most exciting improvised music—regardless of its temperament—carefully balances surprise and stability. The strongest performances of this work tend to maximize the friction between compulsive change and the urge to establish a clear, communal sound world—from the vantage points of both the ensemble and the listener. This deliciously raucous trio outing ridesContinue reading “Rasmussen, Dorji, Damon. To The Animal Kingdom.”
Pauline Oliveros and Connie Crothers. Live At the Stone.
The first, last, and only musical meeting between jazz improviser Connie Crothers (1941–2016) and electronic-music icon Pauline Oliveros (1932–2016) took place in August 2014. It is preserved in its entirety on this disc. Oliveros and Crothers were probably surprised by how many musical ideas they shared. Both had an unerring sense of rhythm coupled withContinue reading “Pauline Oliveros and Connie Crothers. Live At the Stone.”
Joëlle Léandre and Phil Minton. Léandre-Minton.
Few musicians possess the spontaneity and sheer presence of French bassist Joëlle Léandre and English vocalist Phil Minton. Here the two senior masters meet on a Paris stage in October 2016, delivering a three-part concert Si, lence/ Is/ blu, ish. Léandre is a master of finding fresh dimensions and new voices in her instrument, andContinue reading “Joëlle Léandre and Phil Minton. Léandre-Minton.”