HurdAudio Rotation: Vrrt

Indigo Trio: Live in Montreal. 2005. Greenleaf Music: GRE-P-03.

Nicole Mitchell: flute, wood flute, vocals
Harrison Bankhead: acoustic bass, vocals
Hamid Drake: drums, hand drums

Since this disc last came up in the rotation I have relocated to the hometown of Nicole Mitchell, Harrison Bankhead and Hamid Drake and had a chance to experience their respective activities within the lifeblood of the Chicago music scene. My appreciation for what resides on this session is significantly deeper than the last time this music had a spin. These musicians plunge deep into the soul of these compositions and explore spontaneous angles from within the music. Few players so thoroughly transcend the spectrum between free improvisation and composed music to the degree where it doesn't matter. It is all music. Musically, this session is amazing. But I wouldn't expect anything less from this power trio.

Katt Hernandez/Evan Lipson: Hisswig. 2007. Mini-CD-R.

Katt Hernandez: violin
Evan Lipson: bass

A moment (or twenty of them) from the Philadelphia improvisation scene once upon a time. The ever restless Katt Hernandez has made her way to Stockholm and the vibrant improvisation opportunities on the other side of the pond. Leaving behind scattered documents such as this dialog between string players. Evan Lipson brings a great energy to this sound as he deftly crosses registers and common timbres with Hernandez. Free improvisation works well with ears such as these. It leaves the ears reaching for more.

Mazen Kerbaj: Brt Vrt Zrt Krt. 2005. Al Maslakh Recordings: 01.

Mazen Kerbaj: trumpet

To say that Mazen Kerbaj is a unique force on the trumpet would be an understatement. It's hard to imagine a soloist who could make one more acutely aware of the vibrations of a column of brass. The inner workings of the instrument as a construction site. The presence and absence of air flowing through the column. The lungs that propel the air. The connective tissues and cellular workings of the performer as Kerbaj brings "extended technique" to a whole new level. Engineering such a recording has to pose intense challenges as sound emanates from points all along the horn. The sound of valves, of tubing and friction. This is a unique language in sound. An acoustic musique concrete rendered with an alluring intimacy of its live creation. These ears were captivated for the full duration of this set.

HurdAudio Rotation: Sounds from Philadelphia, Lebanon and Saturn

Katt Hernandez/Evan Lipson: Hisswig. 2007. Limited-run mini-disc.

Katt Hernandez: violin
Evan Lipson: bass

A quick hit of the Philadelphia free improvised music scene as two of its most active players lock strings and sonic agility that alternates between aggressive and delicate. The wide, slowly oscillating vibrato of Hernandez's violin drifting within Lipson's orbit before launching toward slight melodic turns toward new vibrato centers. Lipson's fortissimo pizzicato drawing from the foundations of jazz traditions and uncompromising in-the-moment responsiveness.

Mazen Kerbaj: Brt Vrt Zrt Krt. 2005. Al Maslakh: 01.

Mazen Kerbaj: trumpet

There's two sides to this solo trumpet music. There's the "how the hell is he making that sound" side. And once one puzzles out the extremes of coaxing out such extended acoustic source the mind turns toward "how the hell do you record that sound." The virtuosity here is in the maniacal realization of a concrete soundscape without recourse to electronic manipulation. It's profoundly beautiful and fiercely like anything else. It draws the ears well into the inner plumbing of the instrument through the humanity of breath and mind. The geopolitical backdrop of this musician, record producer and cartoonist from Lebanon's somewhat isolated free improvised music scene adds a fascinating dimension that plays pathos against the fiercely independent qualities of this music.

The Sun Ra Arkestra under the direction of Marshall Allen: Points On A Space Age. DVD. Directed by Ephraim Asili. 2009. MVD Visual: MVDV4774.

When does Marshall Allen get his just due? A question forcefully posed by one of the surviving Arkestra members in this video as the final Marshall Allen chapter of the music and wisdom of Sun Ra is being written. "What will happen to the kids that really want to know this music? This guy is in his 80s! Where will they go to learn when all we are left with is mediocrity?" The practitioners of this music serve a dual role as disciples sent out by an absent Ra to prepare human beings for a future that almost defies comprehension within a society dominated by consumer-driven sensibilities. When reduced to spectacle and packaged entertainment along with an inability to discuss music in terms other than units sold (and downloaded) it becomes harder to impart the vision of a band leader who took such creative control over his own narrative. The man from Saturn preparing our souls for journeys that transcend.

Points On A Space Age documents a frustratingly brief slice of the Marshall Allen chapter. It's hard to imagine how a video of any duration could capture the nearly indescribable experience of a live Arkestra show. With just over half an hour this video doesn't attempt to bring that, though there are glimpses of performance footage - including a powerful segment of dance set to "Love in Outer Space" - that is rarely allowed to develop and unfold at its own pace as performances are spliced and manhandled by the editing process. There is also a small sampling of interviews with individual performers that brings out a taste of the mixture of belief and passion in the practice of this music. Segmented by Ra's poetry as read by director Ephraim Asil, there is no shortage of love in this video. But it is short considering the magnitude of the subject. A small document that scatters along multiple trajectories of sound, archival footage and interviews that hints at something much larger.

HurdAudio Rotation: Be Time, Be Bread, Be Bugs

Chris Mosley Trio: The Miraculous Aspect of Time. 2006. Red Button Records: RBR-101.

Chris Mosley: guitar, fretless guitar, 36-tone guitar
Damian Erskine: electric bass
Drew Shoals: drums

The Miraculous Aspect of Time documents three creative sides of Chris Mosley, each represented by the guitar employed for a given track. The short "Interlude I" and "Interlude II" pieces are solo guitar works featuring the 36-tone guitar and the sophisticated harmonic ear of Chris Mosley. I could drink in a full-length CD of music like this and the brevity of these pieces leaves me speculating what sounds might come if Mosley stretched out within this harmonic framework. The straight guitar trio compositions make up the bulk of this collection and the level of polish, compositional chops and the outstanding rhythm section of Erskine and Shoals make this one well worth repeated spins. Bridging the musical territory between the 36-tone solo pieces and the straight trio music are the two tracks for trio featuring the fretless guitar. Here we find a glimpse of Mosley's harmonic sensibilities combined with the formal development and group interplay that make this Portland, Oregon guitarist one to watch.

Myra Melford/Be Bread: The Image of Your Body. 2006. Cryptogramophone: CG 131.

Myra Melford: piano, harmonium
Brandon Ross: electric guitar, banjo, voice
Cuong Vu: trumpet
Stomu Takeishi: electric bass, acoustic bass guitar, electronics
Elliot Humberto Kavee: drums

The Be Bread performances of the familiar Melford compositions of "Equal Grace" and "Yellow Are Crowds of Flowers, ii" provides a glimpse into the possibilities of the ever expanding Myra Melford oeuvre. The elastic electric bass sound of Stomu Takeishi reprises the natural chemistry with Melford's piano and harmonium playing found on previous collaborations while the addition of Elliot Humberto Kavee's light touch on the drums fills out an outstanding rhythm section. Brandon Ross and Cuong Vu take turns filling out the quartet sound from track to track as each leaves a strong impression with their respective individualized sound. The soaring textures of Vu's trumpet playing in particular carve out an interesting space that weaves effortlessly through the ensemble sound.

Katt Hernandez/Evan Lipson: Hisswig. 2007. Limited run mini-disc.

Katt Hernandez: violin, voice
Evan Lipson: bass

A twenty minute dose of two compelling improvisers I've had the pleasure of seeing multiple times over the past year. The interplay between the high and low registers of violin and bass is is complimented by the similarity of approach toward free improvisation shared by these performers. The rough edges of this sound are suggestive of a microscopic universe inhabited by the insects found on the cover. The third track in particular features a patient, deliberate unfolding of ideas that underscores the expansive, rich sonic textures.

Quartet and Duo Improvisation at the Red Room

Katt Hernandez (violin) / Evan Lipson (bass) / Dan Blacksburg (trombone) / Michael Evans (percussion, alto saxophone) +
John Berndt (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone) / Rose Hammer (alto saxophone)
@ The Red Room, Baltimore, MD - August 11, 2007

John Berndt and Rose Hammer began the evening with three improvisations for saxophone duo. The first and last featuring Berndt on soprano saxophone while the second was a "same-sax" pairing with both playing alto.

The "sameness" of these two instruments does not begin to describe the range these two players work along the parameter of timbre. At times the existence of tone was sublimated into a stripped down sound of air through columns. The responsiveness between them made for a compelling set as they balanced well between contrasting and complimenting one another.

The quartet that followed played an outstanding set of free improvisation. This was my second chance to hear bassist Evan Lipson at the Red Room and I continue to be impressed with his sonic instinct and creative collaboration. Dan Blacksburg worked some fantastic trombone into this sound - often sans mouthpiece - as he continually found ways to match and instigate the constant shifting of timbre and material at work in this music. Katt Hernandez has a remarkable approach toward violin improvisation that seemed to drive a lot of the textural shifts at work in this performance. And New Yorker Michael Evans was the biggest surprise of the evening with his explosively restrained approach toward a haphazard drum kit and box of noise-making toys. These four players were locked in to one another and painted with strokes of varying length and intensity as they filled the Red Room with a great sonic presence. The ability to navigate multiple coherent changes in sound without an individual player dominating a focal point - or adding too much to the overall sound - made it clear how deeply these players were listening to one another. This isn't the first evidence of a thriving Philadelphia-based improvisation scene to grace the Red Room and I'm incredibly curious to hear more of what is going on in that town.