This is the third in a long-standing series of collaborations initiated by Austrian musicians Werner Dafeldecker (electronics and bass) and Christof Kurzmann (electronics and clarinet), which see them teaming up with a small group of other improvisers. This time, the two musicians perform a series of improvisations with Stevie Wishart on hurdy gurdy and long-standing AMM pianist John Tilbury.
Wishart’s hurdy gurdy immediately sets the stage, with its underlining drones creating a platform on which the others play. Kurzmann responds most directly to the implications of Wishart’s sound, treating his clarinet like a Middle Eastern chanter on a couple of tracks. But, the music never blunders into pure exoticism, exhibiting a preference for maintaining a committed austerity. Tilbury again proves himself a master of space, with his dry and sparsely placed piano chords and internal piano plucking providing a rich counterpoint to the resonating strings of Wishart and Dafeldecker. At times, the entire ensemble pulls back into lovely moments of perfect placement, allowing an ethic of restraint to permeate the performance.
Chris Kennedy is an independent filmmaker, film programmer and writer based out of Toronto. He has programmed for the Images Festival, the Pleasure Dome screening collective, the Free Screen at TIFF Bell Lightbox and he co-founded the Early Monthly Segments film salon. His short experimental films have screened at over one hundred film festivals. He holds an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. More information on his work is available at www.theworldviewed.com