HurdAudio Rotation: Intonation, Ideas and Dialogue

Lou Harrison: Por Gitaro: Suites for Tuned Guitars. 2008. Mode Records: mode 195.

John Schneider: guitars, national steel guitar
with -

Just Strings
T.J. Troy, Gene Sterling, Erin Barnes

Harvey Mudd College American Gamelan
Bill Alves: director
Caitlin Andrade, Jane Chen, Vicki Chen, Greg Jackson, Anna Lei, Julie Simon, Victoria Wu, Darryl Yong

Serenade (1978)
Suite No. 1 (1978-1992)
Suite for National Steel Guitar (1952/1992)
Suite No. 2(1978-1999)
Ditone Set (1978-2002)
In Honor of the Divine Mr. Handel (1991)

An almost painfully beautiful recording of acoustic guitar music. At times accompanied by percussion or a full gamelan in the case for In Honor of the Divine Mr. Handel. The harmonic territory of just intonation providing a primary interest for these just-preferring ears as the rich shades of consonance and dissonance do much to reinforce Lou Harrison's assertion that "just intonation is the best intonation." But this deeply beautiful harmony simply shades the true focal point of this music: melody. Composed in the period that followed Harrison's 1947 break-down after living in New York City for a decade, this is music written during his search for peace. Distilled to simple contours with a nod to a body of world music histories, what emerges is a singular, introspective and confident voice. John Schneider brings a great deal of sensitivity to these performances. Which also happen to be beautifully recorded and offered as a gentle salve to the contemporary ear. Music from another - and inviting - world.

Udo Kasemets: Pythagoras Tree: Works for Piano. 1998. Hat Hut Records: hat[now]ART 113.

Stephen Clarke: piano

Timepiece (1964) version 1
Tangovariables on the word TANGO (1986)
Timepiece (1964) version 2
3/7 D'un Morceau en Forme de Poire (1995)
Feigenbaum Cascades (1995)
Pythagoras Tree (1994)
Music of the First Eleven Primes (1995)

Music as idea. And complete faithfulness to that idea. In the case of Udo Kasemets' ideas, systemic process or adherence to mathematical expression is the impetus that sets things in motion. Stripping away drama and Romantic notions of expression in favor of the austere beauty of form becoming crystal or petals unfolding as a flower blooms. What the ear hears is a natural beauty. Often stunning in spite of its seeming indifference to the observer. Stephen Clarke brings a wonderful asceticism to these pieces that remains true to the ideas within each of these pieces.

Jaimie Branch/Marc Riordan: Duos. 2008. Limited edition CD-R.

Jaimie Branch: trumpet
Marc Riordan: drums, percussion

A welcome dose of the improvised sounds coming from the Chicago scene. Marked by restrained and focused interaction between two players entirely capable of bursting into a frenzy of activity at any moment. Their ability to focus for an extended sonic dialogue makes this interaction as rewarding as any in recorded history and probably more so than most.

HurdAudio Rotation: Three Sides of Structural Form

Udo Kasemets: Pythagoras Tree: Works for Piano. 1998. Hat Hut: hat[now]ART 113.

Stephen Clarke: piano

Timepiece (1964) version 1
Tangovariables on the word TANGO (1986)
Timepiece (1964) version 2
3/7 D'un Morceau en Forme de Poire (1995)
Feigenbaum Cascades (1995)
Pythagoras Tree (1994)
Music of the First Eleven Primes (1995)

Piano music as constructions. There's a meditative underpinning to this music that treats its sounding parts as formal elements in the service of sonic architecture. The gentle, unhurried unfolding of procedure inspires an admiration similar to viewing the stately arches of large scale constructions. Here it is the lonely piano expressing taut lines and ideas that extend toward vanishing points.

Elliott Sharp: Quadrature: Solo Electoacoustic Guitar. 2005. zOaR Portal Series: ZPO-01.

Elliott Sharp: guitars, electronics

If Elliott Sharp were any less prolific or less well documented over a myriad of small and DIY labels it would be simply impossible to comprehend how multi-faceted his ideas and musical output is. Quadrature presents the ears with his solo guitar work when live electronics come into play. Which is an entirely different sound from his solo acoustic playing. Yet all of these different sides clearly sprawl outward from the same mind. The restless manipulation of timbre. A textural landscape with plenty of sharp edges. The techniques found in Sharp's solo acoustic work and blues guitar find their way into the fabric of Quadrature. Many of his signature gestures come into play - leaving the strong stamp of Sharp's improvisative authorship. This may be his best, and most representative solo recording yet.

Iannis Xenakis: Orchestral Works - volume 1. 2000. Timpani: 1C1057.

Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Arturo Tamayo: conductor
featuring -
Spyros Sakkas: baritone voice
Beatrice Daudin: percussion

Ais (1980)
Tracees (1987)
Empreintes (1975)
Noomena (1974)
Roai (1991)

When considering what kind of din a large orchestra is capable of making this is exactly the kind of music these ears hope for. Imposing shards of dissonance that sweep through an intoxicating range of orchestral timbre. Ais - a setting of two fragments from Homer's Odyssey - is easily the knockout piece of this collection. The extended vocal technique scored for baritone voice weaves against the solo percussionist and large ensemble that puts Xenakis' masterful sense of balance between individual and large ensemble into sharp focus. The slabs of noise and constantly moving gestures fit into nice slabs of architectural intent that leaves an audible trace of form behind this music.

HurdAudio Rotation: The Piano-centric Edition

Udo Kasemets: Pythagoras Tree: Works for Piano. 1996. Hat Hut Recordings: hat[now]ART 113.

Stephen Clarke: piano
Timepiece (1964) version 1
Tangovariables on the word TANGO (1986)
Timepiece (1964) version 2
3/7 D'un Morceau en Forme de Poire (1995)
Feigenbaum Cascades (1995)
Pythagoras Tree (1994)
Music of the First Eleven Primes (1995)

The Estonian composer Udo Kasemets has long been a curiosity for me. When I lived in Toronto he was an eccentric presence on the new music scene with his austere, mathematically inclined and John Cage inspired compositions. Pythagoras Tree is a quiet manifestation of the active mind of Kasemets. Clarke gives these piano pieces a steady, accurate presentation with many of the qualities that make Kasemets' music (and personality) so unique and rewarding to focus on. The brief glimpses of his music - and this disc is but one of those glimpses - suggest a larger body of subtle works offering similarly understated rewards.

NOW Orchestra & Marilyn Crispell: Pola. 2005. Victo: cd 097.

Marilyn Crispell: piano
Kate Hammett-Vaughn: voice
Bruce Freedman: alto saxophone
Graham Ord: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute
Saul Berson: alto saxophone, clarinet, flute
John Korsrud: trumpet, bugle
Kevin Elaschuk: trumpet, bugle
Rod Murray: trombone
Brad Muirhead: bass trombone
Ron Samworth: guitar
Paul Blaney: bass
Clyde Reed: bass
Dylan van der Schyff: drums
Coat Cooke: tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute

A collaboration between the NOW Orchestra and Marilyn Crispell has enormous appeal in the HurdAudio pantheon. Though I can't help being a little disappointed that NOW's regular pianist wasn't included on this project as the creative heat generated between Marilyn Crispell and Paul Plimley would be something to hear. But the sonic shades found on Pola are far from disappointing as Coat Cooke's compositions provide a tremendous impetus for this heady, large ensemble experience. Crispell's "Yin Yang" is a fantastic translation of Crispell's sensibilities channeled through the NOW Orchestra. While Crispell's presence is clearly felt, the focal point of much of this music shifts freely throughout the ensemble in a sound that is more collaborative than concerto.

Dane Rudhyar: Works for Piano. 2004. Hat Hut Records: hat[now]ART 140.

Steffen Schleiermacher: piano
Granites (1929)
Three Paeans (1927)
Tetragrams 1st Serie (1920-27)
-Quest
-Crucifixion
-Rebirth
Third Pentagram (1926)

Exquisitely dissonant and deeply mystical piano pieces from the pioneer of transpersonal astrology. There's something majestic about the harmonic density of these short works that sets them apart and suggests a path yet to be fully explored. Schleiermacher does enormous justice to these difficult works (I used to play Third Pentagram - a fiendishly difficult piece). Dane Rudhyar's music is painfully overdue for some kind of revival as we re-asses the music of the early twentieth century.