In their adaptation of two of John Cage’s later aleatoric compositions, the members of Montreal’s Quartetski—Pierre-Yves Martel (electric bass, sine waves), Bernard Falaise (electric guitar), bass clarinetist Philippe Lauzier and percussionist Isaiah Ceccarelli, of whom the latter two also play synthesizers—honour the composer’s instructions while creating completely original electroacoustic works of kaleidoscopic textures.
One7 was created for pitched instruments playing sustained notes and requires the instruments to act as one. Organ-like synthesizer swells, guitar-string plinks, unvarying chalumeau-register clarinet buzzes, and percussion rolls corkscrew multiple pitches in the exposition before coalescing. These layered interactions concentrate into a pointillist vibrating mass by mid-point and, propelled by altissimo reed whistles and voltage drones, stay that way until the end.
More individualism characterizes Four6, designed for any way of producing sounds. Lauzier projects both subterranean body-tube growls and repeated staccato shrieks; Ceccarelli sounds doorbell-like peals or cymbal scratches as often as bass-drum thumps; Falaise’s effects pedal moves intermittent guitar twangs upwards; and Martel’s thick bass strums propel regularized rhythmic vibrations and focus timbral evolution. Crucially, however, at certain moments, recurring harsh reed-flattement confirms linear evolution.
Transforming interpretation into originality, Quartetski realizes the essence of Cage’s conception in a novel and unique form.
Ken Waxman is a Toronto-based journalist who has written about improvised and other musics for many years. Many of his articles on music can be accessed at <www.jazzword.com>.