HurdAudio Rotation: Variations on Alone Together

Iannis Xenakis: Orchestral Works - Volume IV. 2004/2007. Timpani: 1C1136.

Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Arturo Tamayo: conductor
Hiroaki Ooi: piano

Erikhton (1974)
Ata (1987)
Akrata (1965)
Kirnoidi (1991)

The first three volumes of this cycle leave the impression that Xenakis could wield a large orchestra like a massively dissonant, loud enterprise as he brings architecture to bear upon the musicianship of a mass of players.  On this set we find Akrata.  An early work for a relatively small chamber ensemble composed mostly of winds.  And that same forceful dissonance is there without the overwhelming means of producing it.  It is a completely riveting work, allowing the ears to hear deeper into Xenakis's language as it was still forming.  The remaining pieces are suitably large and beautifully bombastic.  A reminder of the force lurking within sound for a medium that is more often effete.  Also, the piano introduction of Erikhton is a fantastic explosion of activity that gives way to an ocean of glissando from the orchestra.  This is an important contribution toward documenting what Xenakis wrought for orchestra.

Elliott Sharp: Doing the Don't. (film) 2007. Pheasant's Eye.  Directed by Bert Shapiro.

This collection of three short documentaries about the music and persona of Elliott Sharp is a perfect example of New Yorkers taking it upon themselves to document their own cultural enterprise.  Few people have been as consistently given short shift by the music press as Elliott Sharp.  Interviews are often distorted by disinterested "journalists" and reviewers are often dismissing the sonic output of this wildly eclectic figure as being overly cerebral.  Almost clownishly downplaying the significance of the music that has poured out of Elliott Sharp over the years and decades.  While some of the verbal descriptions from Sharp himself in these documentaries reveal much of the reason behind the confusion and dismissal that the mainstream has afforded him, what comes out in spades is the level of respect his music deserves.  I had forgotten how many allies his music has built up on the New York scene and loved hearing the late Butch Morris speak so enthusiastically about this body of music.  The stubborn momentum that Sharp brings to his own projects was equally inspiring.  The inclusion of performances of Syndakit, Quarks Swim Free and the archival footage of Orchestra Carbon's 1987 performance of Larynx at BAM make this particular collection a treasured glimpse into a major figure in the HurdAudio constellation.

Lee Konitz: The Lee Konitz Duets. 1967.  Milestone: MS 9013.

Lee Konitz: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone
Richie Kamuca: tenor saxophone
Marshall Brown: trombone
Dick Katz: piano
Karl Berger: vibes
Jim Hall: guitar
Eddie Gomez: bass
Elvin Jones: drums
Ray Nance: violin

The duet format for improvising musicians has become a more common expression since the appearance of this recorded.  So the timidity found here along with the retreat to the relative safety of a rhythm section by the end of this set is understandable.  But even with the longing to hear more excursion beyond the relative safety of improvising over phantom rhythm changes and standards this remains a collection of improvisations by outstanding musicians.  Lee Konitz's mind and ear for melodic development remains nearly unequaled (Joe Henderson is clearly a peer working along side Konitz in this regard).  "ERB," the duet with Jim Hall is the most rewarding listen on this set.  The one track that plays to the strengths of  the stripped down instrumentation that gives way to sonic exploration of the keypads on the saxophone and the sound of skin along strings of the guitar.  This was an important record both for what has followed in its wake as well as the expression of masters from its era.

HurdAudio Rotation: Lean, Loud and Lovely

Ursel Schlicht / Reuben Radding: Einstein's Dreams. 2005. Konnex: KCD 5165.

Ursel Schlicht: piano
Reuben Radding: double bass

Einstein's Dreams manages to paint a blurring line that dissolves the supposed divide between non-idiomatic free improvisation and jazz.  Providing an artful argument for the common roles that listening plays in improvised music of all persuasions.  Here it is the intimate dialog between piano and double bass shared between improvisers who instinctively know how to develop the tension and overlapping timbres of their respective instruments.  The sonic worlds explored within the piano pulling the sound of piano strings closer to the territory of extended techniques that Reuben Radding employs on the bass.  This duo then also takes flights that allow their independent sounds to flourish, feeding upon the energy of their conversant musicality.  The reverberations of jazz and European music that informs this dialog is readily felt as an animating force behind this music as Ursel Schlicht provides glimpses of harmonic changes that Reuben Radding seamlessly adapts to.  Giving this music a strong sense of hearing the spontaneity through these particular sets of ears.

Briggan Krauss: Descending to End. 1999. Knitting Factory Records: KFW-251.

Briggan Krauss: reeds, guitar, electronics

Descending to End plunges into a corner of temporal reality completely its own.  A place that balances the desolate with the wonder of having so many elements in constant flux.  The humanity of this sound stemming from the creative restlessness of Briggan Krauss's sensibilities.  This is a relentlessly challenging and musical experience that brings a much needed improviser's take on musique concrete.  The poetry of the pieces title offering an unusually descriptive insight into the forces at play in the sonic soup; "Last Gasp Extraction Of The World," "Lean Loud & Lovely," "Encumbrance Essence" and so on.  The timbral essence of saxophones and guitars blurred and processed into a blurred version of its sonic content.  These are stark landscapes done in sound and there aren't nearly enough of them on this collection.

Elliott Sharp & The Soldier String Quartet: Cryptid Fragments. 1993. Extreme: XCD: 020.

Elliott Sharp: computer processing, Thunder, sampler
Margaret Parkins: cello
Sara Parkins: violin
Michelle Kinney: cello
The Soldier String Quartet -
Laura Seaton: violin
David Soldier: violin
Ron Lawrence: viola
Mary Wooten: cello

Cryptid Fragments is a long-standing staple of HurdAudio aural consumption.  So many of the contours of this recording have entered into a rare familiarity as the initial shock of the jagged timbral edges have aged to reveal a solid collection of string-based chamber works featuring electronic manipulation or electronic accompaniment.  The four movement "Cryptid Fragments" is a study of digitally processed violin and cello samples.  The finite set of polished gestures providing a sense of unified structure that provides a compositional framework for the sequence of moments that pass by.  Following the delicately abrasive textures of this computer manipulated experience are three works for string quartet plus electronics: "Shapeshifters," "Twistmap" and "Umbra."  Each fashioned within the ir/rational aesthetic developed by Elliott Sharp.  A sound that is identifiable through its consistency and a sound that has become a point of fixation for a long time with these ears.  The contrast of relatively "unstable" textures set against a clearly structured form gives this music something worth coming back for.

HurdAudio Rotation: Groove and Drone

The Bad Plus: Give. 2004. Sony Music Entertainment: CK 90771.

Reid Anderson: bass
Ethan Iverson: piano
David King: drums

The Bad Plus brings a healthy dose of prog rock to the jazz piano trio.  They do it without spectacle or glamour or back up vocalists.  They do it with a sound that is grounded in both jazz performance history and ears wise to the multitude of genres of the past several decades.  A lot of focus has been given to their approach to covering popular tunes (co-opting is more like it).  Give does close out with a particularly inspired shade of Deep Purple's "Iron Man."  But the focus on the way they twist the familiar gives short shift to the inventive turns that each member of this trio brings to this set as composers.  Particularly the balance of serious versus whimsy that David King strikes with such gems as "1979 Semi-Finalist" and "Layin' A Strip For the Higher-Self State Line."  Rhythmically, this is an incredibly tight group.  Though they do display an ability to loosen things up a bit when taking on Ornette Coleman's "Street Woman" in harmolodic style.  They manage to turn in performances that are enormously polished without being anesthetized.

Jonathan Zorn: For Rob Powers: Suite no. 2 - Additive Feedback. 2004. Set-Projects: 03.

Jonathan Zorn: electronics

The first twenty minutes or so of this suite exists at the very periphery of human perception.  A single drone that changes dramatically as the listener moves their head relative to the speakers.  Not all speakers can produce this frequency.  When this psycho acoustically rich drone does change musically it comes as a jolt.  A barely perceptible, barely audible pure tone that suddenly changes frequency, amplitude and slowly becomes less of a single sine tone.  The remainder of this suite unfolds through a series of short movements that retain the singularity of this sound.  A near monophonic study that introduces more variation and improvised bursts of sound driven by the way electrons interact as a signal.  The texture and the form of this work presents a stark austerity of sonic materials.  Opening the ears to the expansive qualities of minimal source.

Elliott Sharp/Tectonics: Errata. 1999. Knitting Factory Records: KFR-255.

Composed, performed and produced by Elliott Sharp.

Tectonics was Elliott Sharp's foray into the realm of electronica.  Studio creations that work with groove centered materials with Sharp's own sonic sensibilities attacking the form and content.  Part of what makes Elliott Sharp's music so appealing to my ears is his cerebral instinct that prevents him from mindlessly jamming out over drum loops.  He respects the physicality of the musical pulse.  This keeps him from wandering into the pulse-less, anti-body territory favored by other cerebral composers and instead mines a relentless assault upon texture as grooves are assembled and dissolved through creative processing and jump cuts.  The end result is a music that would never survive within night club dance culture (his Tectonics releases were frequently criticized as "failures" for not crossing over).  But the flip side is that this is music that ages incredibly well.  And I'll admit to being stuck on this disc for a few days as I discover nuances I had missed on an old favorite of mine.  But the real payoff in listening to this set as a whole is the final three tracks: "Goomy," "Kargyrea" and "Errataka."  Everything that comes before them feels like it builds up to where those three pieces go.  "Goomy" artfully develops a bass line and beat that skirt dangerously close to ear worm territory.  "Kargyrea" then seamlessly picks up on the timbral qualities of "Goomy" and develops it further.  Then "Errataka" comes in and bulldozes the entire sound with an aggressive, drone-heavy assault.

HurdAudio Rotation: Oldies Station

Shonen Knife: Happy Hour. 1998. Big Deal: BD 9055.

Naoko Yamano: lead vocals, guitar

Atsuko Yamano: drums, bass, vocals

Michie Takatani: bass, vocals, keyboards

A quick blast from the period when Shonen Knife's shtick was starting to wear a little thin. Even as Happy Hour does deliver on much of the light subject materials of food, cloned sheep, parties and dreaming it does fall short from the chaotic, crazy promise of the opening track "Shonen Knife Planet." A place where one must wake up in time not to miss happy hour. After the initial production (and deliberately "bad" sounds) of that initial wake up the rest of the disc settles into the familiar, punk inflected language of Shonen Knife. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a let down after being jolted into the early promise of a concept album. Their cover of the Monkee's "Daydream Believer" does bring a smile even if it isn't exactly a sterling rendition. Happy Hour does manage to cleanse the aural pallet of heavy listening that goes into the rotation.

Elliott Sharp/Bootstrappers: GI=GO. 1992. Atonal: ACD 3014.

Jan Kotik: drums, percussion

Thom Kotik: prepared bass

Elliott Sharp: guitar, bass clarinet, processing

This offering has aged surprisingly well. Much of it built on the early timbral soundscapes that inspired me back in the day. Now it strikes my ears as a chance to hear Elliott Sharp's electric guitar playing over a seriously rocking rhythm section that is locked into Sharp's musical direction. The titles for these pieces have aged less gracefully than the music they're associated with. "Optimize My Hard Disk, Baby," "Command Z" and "Heapfix" strike an ironic, geek humor pose that simply isn't reflected in the music that remains undeservedly neglected.

Dave Douglas: Freak In. 2003. Bluebird/RCA Victor: 09026-64008-2.

Dave Douglas: trumpet, keyboards, voice

Jamie Saft: keyboards, loops, programming

Marc Ribot: electric guitar

Karsh Kale: tabla, additional drums

Joey Baron: drums

Romero Lubambo: acoustic guitar

Brad Jones: ampeg baby bass, acoustic bass

Ikue Mori: electronic percussion

Seamus Blake: saxophone

Chris Speed: saxophone, clarinet

Craig Taborn: fender rhodes

Michael Sarin: drums

This is an enormously important recording in the Dave Douglas catalog. It's his equivalent to Miles Davis' On The Corner and one day it will be revered as such. The electronic layering, the funky grooves, the explosive turns and the high production values bring an immediacy to this recording that nearly blinds one to the fact that the musical basics of melody and humanity are still at the foundation of this beautiful cacophony. "November" is as beautiful and soul filled as any melodic composition. It would slice to the heart if it were played by Dave Douglas playing over a simple jazz rhythm section or the electronic percussion of Ikue Mori as it is here. Freak In is a reliable thrill ride from start to end that continues to reward the listener with its depth and polish every time.

HurdAudio Rotation: Heady and Nostalgic

Elliott Sharp: In the Land of the Yahoos. 1987. Zoar/SST Records: 128.

Elliott Sharp: mirage, voice, bass, pantar, guitar, saxophone, drum computer

Chirstoph Anders: voice, mirage

Sussan Deihim: voice

Elizabeth Fischer: voice

David Fulton: electronic drums

Paul Garrin: pat, rewinds

Shelley Hirsch: voice

Shigeto Kamada: drums

Christian Marclay: turntables

Jane Tomkiewicz: bender, clay drum

If there's a part of me that is capable of nostalgia, this is one of the discs it reaches for. I've lived with this music for a long time and it continues to be repulsive in all the right ways. Short, detail-rich studio creations that often include deliciously uncomfortable vocals in a music that targets its commentary on televangelists, consumerism and the shallowest depths of American society with blistering criticism. A theme that would be picked up with even greater effectiveness in two "sequel" albums. But for these ears, the sneering voice of the title track at the onset of this listening experience is where it all begins. One of many under appreciated gems in the prolific and thorny catalog of Elliott Sharp.

Terry Riley: The Harp of New Albion. 1986. Celestial Harmonies: CEL 018/019.

Terry Riley: piano in 5-limit Just Intonation in C#

This one is another nod toward nostalgia and a substantial piano composition that has supplied a soundtrack for much of my life. Harmony plays a starring role in this music as the startling diversity of intervals within a justly tuned diatonicism reveals a depth of tonality that isn't nearly as audible in equal temperament. Then there is the composition and generous helpings of Terry Riley's under-credited ability for improvisation. Terry Riley plays the role of story teller and shaman as he unfolds an elaborate narrative through abstraction. All of which comes together into a long-form solo work with incredible beauty for those who pause long enough to drink it in.

Mary Halvorson Quintet: Saturn Sings. 2010. Firehouse 12 Records: FH12-04-01-013.

Jonathan Finlayson: trumpet

Jon Irabagon: alto saxophone

Mary Halvorson: guitar

John Hebert: bass

Ches Smith: drums

Saturn Sings is an ideal collision of so many worlds. Thorny, unpredictable compositions rendered audible by the aggressively creative spirits of these five musicians. Realizing a music that plumbs the extremes of order and chaos by filling up the sonic texture with a density that leaves plenty of room for individual navigation. Mary Halvorson has cut her teeth under the tutelage of Anthony Braxton and absorbed many of his best approaches toward improvisation and composition along the way. But this music also taps into a completely different energy that is entirely hers. There's a fiercely independent quality to this sound that allows one to hear deep into the heads of these players while also admiring the tight structure of these charts. All of this adds up to one impressive recording that stubbornly grabs at one's consciousness and dares it to follow the twists and turns of this logical and free music. Ches Smith is a real presence on the drum kit on this one as well. Highly recommended. Savor this.

HurdAudio Rotation: Mappings and Tunings

Elliott Sharp: K!L!A!V! 1990. Newport Classic: NPD 85504.

Anthony Coleman: toy piano, yamaha organ

Wayne Horvitz: yamaha dx-7, dx-100

Zeena Parkins: korg organ, yamaha dx-100

Joseph Paul Taylor: akai s9000 sampler, yamaha dx-7

Gwen Toth: reed organ

David Weinstein: mirage

sampler, cz101

Elliott Sharp: atari 1040st computer, roland s330 sampler, piano

Twenty Below for various instruments

K!L!A!V! for computer and sampler

Mapping for solo piano

A slice of Elliott Sharp's "ir/rational" compositions segmented by his composed works for keyboards. There is not a lot of Sharp keyboard music, so this collection may be "complete" in that sense. The structural underpinnings of "ir/rational" music emerges with a startling clarity here. Twenty Below is a fun piece that shows its age timbrally. K!L!A!V! is startling in its attractive, sparkling textures of detuned piano samples worked through a sequencer. Sharp's later works along this vein tend to focus more on digital manipulations that obscure the source timbre while this older piece retains a sense of harmonic order and treats its raw materials as more of an instrument (as opposed to an exercise in sound design). It's a better piece than I'd remembered it being. One of the rewards of going back to these older recordings. Mapping features Elliott Sharp applying his guitar techniques and sensibilities to the acoustic piano. Hammering furiously at the low end of the instrument's register to force out a cascading wall of harmonics. It's a piece that practically begs non-guitarists to take it on and make it their own.

John Schneider: Just Guitars. 2003. Bridge Records: 9132.

Rhythmicon I by Carter Scholz

John Schneider: 17 justly tuned guitars

Scenes from Nek Chand by Lou Harrison

Tandy's Tago by Lou Harrison

Cinna by Lou Harrison

Palace Music by Lou Harrison

Plaint & Variations on 'Song of Palestine' by Lou Harrison

Serenado por Gitaro by Lou Harrison

John Schneider: national steel guitar

Letter from Hobo Pablo by Harry Partch

John Schneider: voice, adapted guitar I

Rebekah Raff: kithara

December 1942 by Harry Partch

John Schneider: voice, adapted guitar I

Three Intrusions by Harry Partch

John Schneider: voice, adapted guitar II

Gene Sterlins: diamond marimba

Harp of New Albion by Terry Riley

John Schneider: guitar in just intonation

Lament by John Schneider

John Schneider: guitar in just intonation

My ears bring more than a passing familiarity with many of these works. Steeped in the sounds of just intonation, this disc touches upon many of the significant proponents and practitioners of a tuning system that is both ancient and refreshingly new. I find the guitar arrangement of the two movements of Harp of New Albion (a piece originally composed and performed by Terry Riley on a piano tuned to just intonation) to be a complete knockout in this collection. The vocal intonations of the Partch pieces (especially Letter from Hobo Pablo) are spooky in their fidelity to Partch's voice on his own recordings of these works. The fact that Harry Partch was an underrated guitarists lends a particular interest to an interpretation to such a dedicated instrumentalist with a grounded understanding of both the theory and the music. The Lou Harrison pieces are exquisite (as his music often is). This is a great collection for getting the sound of pure intervals into one's ear and a much needed documentation of this incredible body of music.

Kevin Crabb: Waltz for Dylan. 2010. CrabClaw Records: 84501-40663-5.

Kevin Crabb: composer, drums

Don Thompson: bass

John Beasley: piano

Kelly Jefferson: saxophone

Each member of this quartet plays inside this music. And I mean deep inside. There isn't one element of this set that isn't realized as a cohesive group. Each one of these musicians is clearly cut from a monk-like devotion to jazz music that yields tight performances like this. The fact that these are all Kevin Crabb originals - as opposed to jazz standards - gives this set its luster. The prominence of the cymbals in the mix is the only hint that the drummer is the leader of this ensemble. Tight playing, tight compositions and nearly flawless execution along all musical fronts. If anything, the studio-centric approach to this recording leads to abbreviated solos that could stand to stretch out much longer (as one would imagine happening in a live setting). This one is admittedly more "inside" and "safe" than these ears normally tread, but I have to admire the musicianship on display on this recording.

HurdAudio Rotation: Dance in Thy Soul

Anthony Braxton/Taylor Ho Bynum: Duets (Wesleyan) 2002. 2002. Innova: 576.

Anthony Braxton: sopranino saxophone, soprano saxophone, F alto saxophone, E-flat alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, E-flat clarinet, B-flat clarinet, contalto clarinet
Taylor Ho Bynum: cornet, trumpbone, shell, mutes

Getting lost within an Anthony Braxton improvisation is one of life's great indulgences. His long and astonishingly prolific recording career offers up enormous opportunities to indulge. Getting lost within his compositional constructions offers up yet another dimension for plunging into the maze of Braxtonian logic. With these duets we have the addition of hearing a sonic dialogue between a mentor and one of his clear musical progeny. Taylor Ho Bynum as student has already graduated through the conceptual hurdles with his own voice intact. Leaving this impressive and at times stunning recording in his wake. These duets are well worth revisiting time and again.

Dave Douglas: Charms of the Night Sky. 1998. Winter & Winter: 910 015-2.

Dave Douglas: trumpet
Guy Klucevsek: accordion
Mark Feldman: violin
Greg Cohen: bass

From the opening notes of the title track this CD sweeps in like an old friend that sits squarely in the category of discs I can't imagine not having in this life. The most striking thing about this collection of eastern European tinged material is how much Dave Douglas alters his tone with this quartet. His playing is so delicate and fragile while never sounding tentative. Weaving seamlessly between the lines of accordion and violin. Mark Feldman's cadenza at the opening of "Dance in They Soul" is a jaw dropper.

Elliott Sharp/Terraplane: Blues for Next. 2000. Knitting Factory Records: KFW-285.

Elliott Sharp: electric guitars, console steel guitar, National steel guitar, tenor saxophone
Sim Cain: drums, electronic percussion
Sam Furnace: alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
David Hofstra: electric bass, acoustic bass
with:
Dean Bowman: vocals
Eric Mingus: vocals
Hubert Sumlin: electric guitar

This one is another familiar friend in the rotation. The Blues for Next has its roots deep in the blues tradition as it grows outward from it with a disc featuring guest vocals and guitar and a disc focused just on the quartet itself. And through it all on this listening these ears are drawn to the drumming of Sim Cain. What a great force on skins, membranes and cymbals.

HurdAudio Rotation: Spaces Between Dylan and Thoreau

Jewels & Binoculars: Floater. 2004. Ramboy: 20.

Michael Moore: alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, melodica, bells
Lindsey Horner: bass
Michael Vatcher: percussion

Jewels and Binoculars bring an incredible quality of musicianship to this recording. Almost completely without flash or shredding technique, this trio fuses together with an unhurried devotion to melody. Each improvised detail added into the delicate balance of a sound focused with loving detail upon the melodic materials of Bob Dylan. The sound on this disc opens up with all the awe and natural force of a flower reaching full bloom. Easily missed if one doesn't slow down to catch up to its beauty. Intensely rewarding when the ears take the time to focus upon its fragrance.

Marianne Trudel: Espaces libres. 2004. Marianne Trudel: TRUD 2004.

Marianne Trudel: piano

The first solo effort from this incredibly talented pianist. This set slants heavily toward short, lyrical realizations with a relentless inventiveness pulsating in support of her nearly flawless phrasing. With a scattering of free improvisations and light forays into the internal parts of the instrument as spicy interludes this makes for a satisfying listen with plenty of variety. Not lost on these ears is the polished, pleasant qualities of these melodic lines and subtle shifts. Marianne Trudel has great compositional and improvisational instincts and is easily a talent that bears watching.

Elliott Sharp/Sirius String Quartet: Dispersion of Seeds. 2003. Zoar Music: ZPO-03.

Meg Okura: violin
Gregor Huebner: violin
Ron Lawrence: viola
David Eggar: cello

A texture study inspired by Henry David Thoreau's work dealing with the mechanism of reforestation and the propagation of plant species. The three aural images presented here in 16-minute blocks offer up an acoustic reading of this composition followed by electronically manipulated versions of the same performance. The liner notes suggest that these may be heard as separate pieces or as three movements of the same work. Hearing them in order suggests an evolution from generation to generation as each successive version bears a strong resemblance to its previous take while exhibiting significant "growth" (or "mutation") with the increasing aggressiveness of electronic manipulation. Elliott Sharp's chamber compositions continue to be his most engaging material. Particularly as he finds ways to continually balance and unbalance the richness of acoustic phenomena against electronic means.

HurdAudio Rotation: Music of Growth

Sleeping People: Growing. 2006-2007. Temporary Residence: TRR123.

Kasey Boekholt: guitar
Joileah Maddock: guitar
Kenseth Thibideau: bass
Brandon Relf: drums
Amber Coffman: guitar

Sleeping People takes musical patterns as a building block and pieces together tight structures built upon oddities. Odd meters, odd juxtapositions and tightly fitted asymmetries. At the same time they also rock. Building these patterns with the instrumentation and sonic language of electric guitars, bass and drums they manage to scratch the cerebral itch without sounding rigid. Mining grooves that both confound and invite the tapping foot. I've been looking forward to having this disc come back around in the rotation and find that Growing has grown on me. If the world actually made sense these guys would be saturating the culture with this intelligent and inviting sound.

Elliott Sharp/Tectonics: Field & Stream. 1998. Knitting Factory Records: KFR-227.

Elliott Sharp: doubleneck guitarbass, electronics, drum programs, tenor saxophone
with guests -
Zeena Parkins: sampler, little green drone guitar
Frank Rothkamm: drums 'n bass

Tectonics is Elliott Sharp's deliriously off-center, thick and subverted stab at electronica. The result is vivid, intense and oddly somewhere between danceable and not. Heavily processed textures develop with Sharp's guitar work or tenor saxophone placing a welcome anchor in the sound. At other times it veers noisily without anchor into a collision of groove and noise. This music probably wouldn't show up in any club, it's far too listenable to bring a crowd to their feet. But what it does do is bring a welcome layer of grit to it's clean beats.

Ornette Coleman: The Empty Foxhole. 1966 (re-released in 1994). Blue Note Records: CDP 7243-8-28982-2-1.

Ornette Coleman: alto saxophone, trumpet, violin
Charlie Haden: bass
Denardo Coleman: drums

Denardo Coleman is Ornette Coleman's son. And at the time of this recording he was all of 10 years old. Which became the focus of this release when it came out in 1966. On the face of it, it is difficult to reconcile putting someone so young in with the greatest bass player in the world for a session with the prestigious Blue Note label. Billy Higgins he isn't. But then Ornette Coleman's trumpet playing isn't exactly Don Cherry. His violin technique is certainly unlike anyone else. This music does stand up to repeated listening. Ornette Coleman was working with a sound here. And that sound works with this mix of experience and youth. The contrast of Ornette's virtuosity on alto compared to the ragged qualities of his trumpet and violin playing do match the contrast of Charlie Haden's sure presence against the budding technique of Denardo Coleman. The whole thing has to be absorbed as a sound. Harmolodic playing isn't an exclusive club reserved for the extremely well practiced. It only demands a willingness to play from within and that's on here in spades.

HurdAudio Rotation: Studies in Intensity

Elliott Sharp/Soldier String Quartet: Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup. 1989. SST Records: SST CD 232.

Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup (take 1)
Tessalation Row
Digital
Diurnal
Ringtoss
Re/Iterations
Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup (take 4)

Elliott Sharp: guitar, composer
Ratso B. Harris: bass (on Re/Iterations)

Soldier String Quartet
Laura Seaton: violin
David Soldier: violin
Ron Lawrence: viola
Mary Wooten: cello

This one has been in my ears off and on since 1987. I can practically reconstruct every detail and nuance of this particular performance of Tessalation Row from memory. That piece changed so much about how I hear things and it is often lurking in my own textural creations. Beyond featuring the outstanding Fibonacci driven Tessalation Row this collection of string quartet compositions offer an earful of Sharp's organic growth from New York's lower east side hard-core music scene to chamber music composer. This music retains an aggressive edge that finds noise within the harmonic frequencies of open strings that mirror the saturation of multiple amplified guitars. The rhythmic precision and unison attacks in the suite extending of Digital, Diurnal and Ringtoss is remarkable. This is some of my favorite music of all time in one concentrated dose.

Cecil Taylor: The Great Paris Concert. 1966 (re-issued in 1994). Black Lion Records: BLCD 60201.

Cecil Taylor: piano
Jimmy Lyons: alto saxophone
Alan Silva: bass
Andrew Cyrille: drums

A documentation of a late November 1966 concert that lives every bit to its "great" connotation. The 20-minute Andrew Cyrille feature "Amplitude" alone is a jaw dropping excursion through this incredible era of the free jazz movement. Cecil Taylor just seems to pour gasoline onto a sound that is already burning up with this great quartet. An important reminder that cerebral can also be fierce. This one is a significant reference point in the free jazz tradition.

Mary Halvorson and Weasel Walter: Opulence. 2008. ugEXPLODE: UG 26.

Live at The Stone, NYC
February 15, 2007
Mary Halvorson: guitar
Weasel Walter: drums, clarinet mouthpiece

This one hits my expectation for these two improvising talents while still delivering more than a few surprises along the way. Mary Halvorson has internalized a lot of different music, distilled it and she brings out a sound that reflects well upon her wide ranging influences. Weasel Walter is a spark plug with a lot of energy as he blends the kinetic forces of punk and free jazz (and "brutal prog"). Both players have a hand in noise and aren't afraid to go there. What is surprising in this particular set is how controlled and conversant this rough material can be when filtered through ears that are squarely in the moment. Weasel Walter bends toward many of Halvorson's stylistic quirks while she in turn has little difficulty turning the intensity level up to eleven. Though many of the best moments on this disc come when they both dial it all the way back in near sympathetic unison.

HurdAudio Rotation: Three New Yorkers

Elliott Sharp: Quadrature. 2005. Zoar Portal Series: ZPO-01.

Elliott Sharp: solo electroacoustic guitar

A thick dose of Elliott Sharp's sonic language stripped down to his solo guitar sound. The instruments used already have a unique sound long before they become stamped with the hands and mind of Elliott Sharp. Two pieces using a modified Godin Duet Multiac guitar. Two pieces on a Turner Renaissance baritone guitar and one using the Godin with a Max/MSP patch running as a live, responsive electronics effects processor on a Powerbook G4. It's not an accident that so many of the titles of Sharp's pieces bear the names of scientific phenomena. He explores sound and improvised realizations of sound like a mad scientist with a child like enthusiasm for often violent interactions operating at subatomic scale. And yet these phenomena are informed by the blues and a healthy respect for form. A sonic universe that is both informed without neglecting the blood and life that flows through it.

Steve Reich: Daniel Variations. 2008. Nonesuch Records: 406780-2.

Daniel Variations (2006)
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Grant Gershon: conductor
Tania Batson, Karen Hogle Brown, Claire Fedoruk, Rachelle Fox, Marie Hodgson, Emily Lin: sopranos
Pablo Cora, Jody Golightly, Shawn Kirchner, Michael Lichtenauer, Kevin St. Clari, George Sterne: tenors
Gary Bovyer, Michael Grego: clarinets
Cloria Cheng, Vicki Ray, Bryan Pezzone, Lisa Edwards: pianos
James Jaschia, Helen Goode-Castro, Larry Hughes: clarinets
Wade Culbreath, Theresa Dimond, Michael Englander, John Magnussen, Thomas Raney, Mark Zimoski: percussion
Elixabeth Lim Dutton, Todd Reynolds: violins
Scott Rawls: viola
Eugene Moy: cello

Variations for Vibes, Pianos & Strings (2005)
London Sinfonietta
Alan Pierson: conductor
Quartet 1 -
David Alberman, Jonathan Morton: violins
Paul Silverthorne: viola
Timothy Gill: cello
Quartet 2 -
Joan Atherton, Simon Smith: violins
Jane Atkins: viola
Lionel Handy: cello
Quartet 3 -
Miranda Fulleylove, Elizabeth Wexler: violins
James Boyd: viola
Sally Pendelbury: cello

John Constable, Shelagh Sutherland: pianos
David Hockings, Owen Gunnell, Sam Walton, Alex Neal: vibes

I recall hearing Daniel Variations performed at the stroke of midnight at the Bang On A Can Marathon concert a couple of years back and being struck by the humanity and the connective tissues of so many Steve Reich themes. And feeling that it was a compositional achievement equal to his incredible Different Trains. Both works draw upon Reich's Jewish heritage and identity and the way they intersect and respond to questions of mortality in light of religious intolerance and cruelty. While Different Trains provided a personal reflection upon the holocaust, Daniel Variations draws upon the short life of journalist Daniel Pearl. It is a moving tribute. The well defined sonic language of pulsing tonal centers underscoring the fragments of text drawn from Daniel Pearl's own words as well as the Old Testament book of Daniel. The vocal writing working the same mannerisms developed in Desert Music. But with a sharp focus on the contemporary environment of religious extremism that speaks far less generally than Desert Music's admonishment of mankind and its weaponry. There is a beating heart and a reverent gravity to this music that rises above the immediate fears of these uncertain times.

Variations for Vibes, Pianos & Strings is a less thrilling work. Without the allusions to real world events or personal expressions we are left with the narrow confines of Reich's abstract language. Orchestration is such a big part of Reich's sound. It often works to thrilling effect. But then there are pieces like this one that seem to show off its limited range. It's an enjoyable piece that feels incredibly cold in the wake of the passions of the work that preceded it on this disc.

Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris: Testament: A Conduction Collection - Conduction 11: Where Music Goes [disc 1]. 1995. New World Records: 80479-2.

The Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA
December 18, 1988

ROVA PreEchoes Ensemble
Bruce Ackley: soprano saxophone
Dave Barrett: alto saxophone
Larry Ochs: saxophone
Jon Raskin: alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
Chris Brown: electric percussion piano
J. A. Deane: trombone, electronics
Jon English: bass
Jon Jang: piano
Bill Horvitz: electric guitar
BlK lion: guitar, electronics
Kash Killion: cello
Kaila Flexer: violin
Hal Hughes: violin
William Winant: percussion
Lawrence D. "Butch" Morris: conductor

Conduction is Butch Morris's developed language of improvised conducting. A set of gestures and hand signals that allows him to coral a large ensemble of improvisers into a single consciousness. A strategy for harnessing the orchestral range of timbre without losing the spontaneous energy of unfettered improvisation. In the hands of Butch Morris it works. The large ensemble nearly folds in on itself into a unified entity. Something like a cross between a one-man band capable of playing multiple instruments at once and a dog trainer using commands and gestures to direct the energy of a young pup to perform tricks. Conductions depend upon the quality of the improvisers. With Conduction 11 Butch Morris has an incredible resource to work with. One of the simple qualities of conduction that he uses often is the ability to start and stop the fire hose of noise with near uniform precision. The ability to mold, single out soloists and direct linear development is also clearly audible on this set. One can also hear the joy of having his methodology produce such promising sonic results as he "plays" this outstanding ensemble.

HurdAudio Rotation: One Duo, Two Trios

Nels Cline/Elliott Sharp: Duo Milano. 2007. Long Song Records: LSRCD103/2007.

Nels Cline: guitars
Elliott Sharp: guitars

It's a pleasure to hear such compatible performers blend their common instrument together like this. The shared sense of terrain that each brings makes it impossible (and unnecessary) to separate who is doing what in any given sounding texture. Divided into two halves - an all acoustic set and an all electric set. It's remarkable to hear how similar the musical language and aesthetic identity is as these master improvisers traverse between these distinct timbral divides. The addition of sustained tones, amplification and processing is a subtle addition to the consistency of ideas that flows through the life blood of this organic sound.

Matthew Shipp Trio: Circular Temple. 1994. Infinite Zero: 14506-2.

Matthew Shipp: piano
William Parker: bass
Whit Dickey: drums

Music like this makes me love my speakers. The clarity of sound between these three separate forces is a remarkably well-recorded and produced aural image of independence and unity. These three players work with the raw material of free improvisation - big confident slabs of free jazz sounds that cover the canvas with controlled splashes and dribbles. Erupting from time to time with a vicious ferocity that stands out all the more because of the moments of contrasting quiet that pool around the edges. This is a solidly percussive side of Shipp's piano playing and it rolls easily against Parker's bowed utterances as Dickey meets volume with volume in this set. All played with an unwavering alertness of the poetic angles of each given moment.

Mary Halvorson/Reuben Radding/Nate Wooley: Crackleknob. 2009. Hat Hut Records: hatOLOGY 662.

Mary Halvorson: guitar
Reuben Radding: double bass
Nate Wooley: trumpet

The individuals found on this collaboration inspire an enthusiasm for this music long before the first sounds of Crackleknob strike the ear. Individually, each is a fresh voice on their respective instruments and part of a dynamic improvisation scene in Brooklyn. Listening to this music exceeded my already high expectations. Musical ideas are tossed effortlessly between players in a manner that is beyond conversant or even reactive. Many of these ideas extend beyond the immediate rhythms or phrases of the moment as the intuitive sense of form and structure within these "free" environments is striking. This is collective dialogue with sound materials that dances between players in a remarkably even, trio-centric manner. With no sense of urgency (or ego) to fill each moment with more (or less) than what is called for. Recommended.

HurdAudio Rotation: Karlheinz, Thelonious and Leroy

Karlheinz Stockhausen: Klavier Stuecke. 1994. Hat Hut Records: hat ART CD 6142.

David Tudor: piano

An aesthetic summit from an era of hyper rationalism. Animated by the incomparable pianism of David Tudor. One of a hand full of large scale piano works that pursues a willingness to test human perceptions of note groupings centered around dynamic range - as opposed to proximity or tonal harmonic construction. With some familiarity and disciplined practice one can bend their perception to hear the elaborate organizational structures in this music. But to simply immerse the ears and hear it as music is a different - and arguably more rewarding - experience in and of itself. Tudor's interpretation prevents this music from sliding into an abyss of cold, technical precision. Even with technical precision present in spades. Instead, I hear the longing to force musical progress down this particular byway and the tension of nearly succeeding despite the proximity of a logical extreme end point.

Elliott Sharp: Sharp? Monk? Sharp! Monk! - Elliott Sharp Plays the Music of Thelonious Monk. 2006. Clean Feed: CFG001CD.

Elliott Sharp: acoustic guitar

I remember catching Elliott Sharp's 1994 tour with Carbon in Seattle. This was just after they had released Truthtable - arguably the edgiest studio recording this incarnation of the group would ever record - and in the midst of playing a blistering set Elliott Sharp took out his soprano saxophone and told the audience, "this is not jazz" before launching into some circular breathing, looping patterns. The image of "jazz" as standards, show tunes, lounge acts and the stomach churning nausea of "smooth" reinforced by image of Kenny G with a soprano saxophone demanded a considerable amount of distance from what Sharp was doing.

The reality was - and is - that Sharp's uncompromising integrity is much closer to the original innovators that made jazz great. Thelonius Monk, with that melodic approach that was so shocking in its day finds a natural affinity with the individualistic sound Sharp has honed on the acoustic guitar. This recording is a wonderful homage to that enduring influence. It also happens to be a wonderful solo guitar record. The question and answer posed in the title nodding to the perceived distance between two artists. The respect paid and honest artistry captured in this documentation providing the exclamation point to the answer to the question.

Leroy Jenkins: Theme & Improvisations on the Blues. 1994. CRI: 663.

Themes & Improvisations on the Blues (1986)
The Soldier String Quartet
Laura Seaton: violin
David Soldier: violin
Ron Lawrence: viola
Mary Wooten: cello

Panorama 1 (1983)
Leroy Jenkins: violin
Henry Threadgill: flute
Don Byron: clarinet
Marty Ehrlich: bass clarinet
Vincent Chancey: french horn

Off Duty Dryad (1990)
The Soldier String Quartet
Laura Seaton: violin
David Soldier: violin
Ron Lawrence: viola
Mary Wooten: cello
Lindsey Horner: bass

Monkey on the Dragon (1989)
Leroy Jenkins: solo violin
Henry Threadgill: flute
Don Byron: clarinet
Marty Ehrlich: bass clarinet
Janet Grice: bassoon
Vincent Chancey: french horn
Frank Gordon: trumpet
Jeff Hoyer: trombone
Thurman Baker: traps
Myra Melford: piano
David Soldier: violin
Jane Henry: violin
Ron Lawrence: viola
Mary Wooten: cello
Lindsey Horner: bass
Tania Leon: conductor

A recital of chamber works by the great jazz improviser and violinist. The lineup of performers is an impressive mix of fellow improvisers and practitioners of composed music. The music itself is thick with ideas and enough details that it takes multiple listenings to absorb the many layers and nuances. It is unquestionably worth several listenings. I would like to hear multiple interpretations of each of these works.