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: Two Trumpets and a Minnimalist Masterpiece

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

Mazen Kerbaj: trumpet

Much like his cartoons, Mazen Kerbaj's approach to solo trumpet improvisation twists, distorts and subverts one's expectations even as it unflinchingly arrives at profound truths. The amplified buzzing and plumbing of the instrument pulls the ears deep inside the instrument and reveals a startling sonic landscape. And much like his cartoons, improvisations and productions from his indie label I am left with a deep admiration for the expressiveness and gritty portrayal of life within the Lebanese artistic scene of Beirut. Full length solo trumpet outings are few and far between and this one as unique and engaging as they come.

Steve Reich: Music for 18 Musicians. Performed by the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble. 2007. Innova: 678.

GVSU New Music Ensemble
Bill Ryan: director
Gwendolyn Faasen, Stacey Van Vossen, Mary Crossman: voices
Amanda Duncan: voice, marimba
Alexander Hamel: xylophone, marimba, maracas
Samuel Gould: xylophone
Nicholas Usadel, Tim Church: marimbas
Joshua Puranen: marimba, maracas
Gregrey Secor: vibraphone
Daniel Redner: piano, maracas
Craig Avery: piano, marimba
Shaun MacDonald, Kelly Rizzo, Kurt Ellenberger, Lee Copenhaver: pianos
Mark Martin: violin
Pablo Mahave-Veglia: cello
Charlan Mueller, Alexander Kolias: clarinets, bass clarinets

Music for 18 Musicians is long overdue for vibrant reinterpretations such as this one. Once plunged into the lush, beautifully recorded offering found on this disc I was reminded why this work was such an addiction for my ears in my late teens. The pulsing, formal arrangement and eleven chord cycle are immediately discernable. But the sheer awe and beauty of this sound is a shock despite the familiarity and transparency of this composition. I sincerely hope there are plans in the works to record other landmark pieces of the last century with the same verve and attention to clarity found here.

Miles Davis: The Complete On The Corner Sessions [disc 1]. 1972, 1973, 1974, 2007. Sony BMG Entertainment: 88697 06239 2-DI.

Miles Davis: trumpet
Dave Liebman: soprano saxophone
Chick Corea: synthesizer
Herbie Hancock: electric piano
Harold Ivory Williams: organ, synthesizer
John McLaughlin: guitar
Colin Walcott: electric sitar
Michael Henderson: electric bass
Jack DeJohnette: drums
Don Alias: congas, percussion, kalimba, African percussion
Badal Roy: tablas
Billy Hart: wood block, cowbell, percussion, drums
Carlos Garnett: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
Bennie Maupin: bass clarinet, flute
Dave Creamer: guitar
Lonnie Liston Smith (speculated): electric piano
Al Foster: drums

There's no shortage of observation on how Miles caught the jazz press flat-footed with On the Corner. The erudite ears craving a reprise of the Kind of Blue masterpiece had long become entrenched in the anti-body physicality that the chewy, funky noise Davis unleashed and confronted. With the perspective of years it seems peculiar to regard these long, grinding and fiercely non-commercial tracks as "selling out." The artistic renewal, and infectious churn of this music is a notable departure from the Birth of the Cool. Sinking one's ears into this bounty of material reveals just as much substance as any other era of the Miles Davis catalogue.

HurdAudio Rotation: Be Bread, Beirut and Three Places in New England

Myra Melford/Be Bread: The Image of Your Body. 2006. Cryptogramophone: CG131.

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

Any Myra Melford led ensemble that includes Stomu Takeishi on bass is welcome within these ears. There hasn't been enough recorded documentation of Melford's ensemble projects over the years, but what is there plots an evolving set of compositions (and an expansive approach toward individual and group improvisation) that have taken root and grown in some remarkably organic ways. This particular take on "Equal Grace" with Cuong Vu's fluid trumpet work is outstanding. The increasing influence of Melford's studies in India manifests in pleasantly surprising ways that tap into a deep well of spiritual expression.

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

Mazen Kerbaj: trumpet

Beirut free improviser Mazen Kerbaj plays trumpet, draws comics and blogs. And every one of these endeavors is unique, startling and profoundly shaped by the sad reality of living through the ongoing violence and unrest in Lebanon. (Check out this link to a "duet" between Kerbaj - trumpet and the Israeli Air Force - bombs). Brt Vrt Zrt Krt is all live solo trumpet without cuts, overdubs or electronics. And at times it's hard to believe that this raw pallet of sound is somehow emanating from that instrument. With close listening one can indeed make out the familiar plumbing of the trumpet as the resonating chamber for this incredible sound design. With titles like "Vrrrt," "Ffffss" and "Tagadagadaga" that allude to the oral contortions involved in shaping these sounds Kerbaj demonstrates an intense focus on the minute details of these sculpted sonic excursions.

Charles Ives: The Symphonies / Orchestral Sets 1 & 2. 1973, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1995. Decca Music Group: 289 466 745-2.

Symphony No. 1 - performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta
Symphony No. 4 - performed by the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Christoph Von Dohnanyi
Orchestral Set No. 1 - performed by the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Christoph Von Dohnanyi
Symphony No. 2 - performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta
Symphony No. 3 - performed by the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner
Three Places in New England (Orchestral Set No. 1) - performed by the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Christoph Von Dohnanyi

I believe this is the first time I've listened to all of the Charles Ives Symphonies and Orchestral Sets in one sitting. This is music that gets more astonishing with each exposure. It used to be the orchestration and the juxtaposition that pulled at my attention and established Ives' greatness within my mind. But there are so many more layers at work than just those details. The quoting of hymn tunes and the off-kilter mixing of tempos and simultaneous parts is no gimmick. These are vivid images in sound of an entire world of Ives' experience that is lost to the passage of time. Even the Symphony No. 1, a "student composition" started while Ives was completing his undergraduate studies at Yale in 1898, quotes more hymn tunes than I had remembered as it careens through several European influences in a manner that only hints at what Ives would later do for Americana. Symphony No. 4 is a grand scale work with its reaching toward "the diverse answers in which existence replies [to] the searching [spiritual] questions of What? and Why?".