Ratchet Orchestra - Live at Sala Rosa November 28, 2007

This came out of the blue - and I can't really point you to somewhere to get it from. Nicolas Caloia runs the Ratchet Orchestra, an apparently flexible jazz combo among other things. He was on one of the disks in the NoType Montreal Free set and is active in that scene.

There are 27 artists listed on the front of this - indicative of the big band sound - and the 6 tracks are by Caloia (3), Sun ra (1) and Lombardo (1 - not sure who this is!) There is so much going on here - September has a slow intro of bass, horns, piano and drums, with whistle and clarinet melodies. It loops and builds, somewhat raucous with a little free jazz over the top. But for a live recording it is very clear, you can pick out the instruments as it whirls and swirls to a climax before a short drum and piano solo that slides into Love on a faraway planet. OK - I've heard of Sun Ra and bits of his but not much, and the two tracks here suggest not enough. They are contemplative restrained and very attractive - parallel orchestrations and a subtly oblique melody draw you in. A short joyous lilting from Carmine, with an Eastern swing, before a scrabbly fiddle, bass and second violin on T(h)rust. The others join after about 3 minutes for a building, exciting ensemble, with some wild winds and the fiddle still going at the end.

Drum and bass support the winds on Tiny pyramids, sinuous and melodic, this has a lovely violin solo with clarinet, a band building section before a drum solo and a bird-whistle. In the final track, Unconditional, flute piano and percussion build slowly, horn lines enter creating tension, dropping back to bass piano and clattery percussion. The winds return before a gentle finale.

I have got to like the big band free jazz orchestral stuff - some of Nathan Hubbard, or Jeff Kaiser's albums (or, looking at an old australian 12", the Hot Half Hour). And this is another beauty to add to that roster. As I said, I have no idea how you can get this - I have kept Caloia's address if people want to ask me for it - I would rather not publish it. And if anyone has a better link, let me know. UPDATE: Nicolas got in touch and has provided the link to buy this album, so go here

TL0741 - Back to minus

Pat Gillis is TL0741 who works with synths, effects and tape manipulation. Back To Minus is on HC3Music, and he has a myspace page which is probably the best place to follow this up through - and it is worth following up.

There are five tracks on this live recording, three over ten minutes and a couple half that length. Again, the recent Tone Generation podcast is something of a touch stone, as similar combinations of tone beds, noises and tape loops are subtly and excitingly combined. This is not generally melodic, but rather balances warm enveloping analogue tones with harsher, blipping burring sounds. It is worth playing loud, as there are some wonderful tweeter fodder tones.

Hard to describe but crackles, looped notes, burbles, grumbles, screeching all occur in the first two thirds of Orchrsutra before a sweetly ambient final part. Back to minus is somewhat more restrained pulsing burring pips warmth, while in Mirror faces mirror there is a collection of almost animal-calls through the sonarish beeping and high tones, pulsingly lovely, shimmering and chittering.

Shorter, and more singly focused, Simmervolts is stirring dense forceful drones with gravitas and Morphantasia is warm vocal like unfoldingness.

A fascinating release, spacey analogue but not cliched and with exciting variation

Gultskra Artikler/Lanterns split disk

From the Other Electricities label comes a split 12" - the three track Berezka fom Gultskra Artikler together with Lanterns' Monkey Lament. I have a promo cd (so can't comment on the total pakage) and it will be available from download sites.

Gultskra is a Russian musician. Pervie gusli is is a piece of psychedelic ambience, spacey guitars, swirling atmospherics, clicks drifting through, a clattery percussion builds and it finishes with some slow slides. A world music feel to Figase layers a whisper-like electrocrackle, pops crackles and hiss with a Middle eastern horn and voice sample - slightly distant and distorted), and this swings in and out of focus finely balanced atmosphere. I Berezka take 2 a hint of acoustic guitar underscores electronic bloops and blips, bells, an organ pulse to create an eno-ish melodic ambience.

From Leeds and Glasgow Lanterns is currently a duo and present two very different tracks. Snake ice is a dense drone work - big organ pulsing drones, long guitar tones, complex subtley changing wall of sound that ends with a deconstruction. And then Dir tup is a more acoustic work: whistly shakhujachi, a clattering, strummed guitar and bird song throughout. The guitar cycles though and some harmonica joins and a bowed fiddle or guitar - a bucolic rural ambient piece which is gently relaxing.

A fairly short album - just under 26 minutes - but showcasing two quite different artists who themselves create varied music: the pros and cons of the format, effectively an opportunity to showcase which is more focussed than a compilation but not a single mind's music view. An enjoyable excursion.

Mystified - Forbidden Planet and Falling from Grace

Mystified returns with another couple of real-world disks.

For those who have been listening to the Tone Generation podcasts - pointed to some time ago - his album on Roil Noise A Tribute to Forbidden Planet is a beauty. While I can't compare it to the original (having only seen the film once many years ago and have heard snatches of the soundtrack, including on the podcast) this seems to capture the spirit of the time with analog synth woobling and fibrillar pulsing, singing tones, crackling edgy generator-noises, humming and grainy tones. Recurring themes and changing moods - there are some contemplative moments - keep you focussed on the musical drama. In a further act of homage, it seems the tracks are the exact same length as the originals - when I ripped this into my iTunes library the tracklist database identified it as the soundtrack and lobbed up the titles. A lot of fun and a strangely modern blast from the past!


Meanwhile, from Sartgalgh records a 3" 20 minute drone piece Falling From Grace. This is a shifting work with quite separate movements that slide into each other - the first part is quite direct metal drones, which shifts to a gentler ringing before a more subtly beated section. Then a long soft fade that ties off this very nice little work.

And of course there has been plenty of activity on TreeTrunk and Webbed Hands in the interim - Mystified's Ocean of Vapour on Webbed hand, the two remix albums based onMystified's Particular Stream; more Constants; another in the Rain series on Webbed - the first from label boss McDill and a huge compilation of String ambient by familiar and less so names.

Ricardo Arias, Miguel Frasconi, Keiko Uenishi: Object

Another from Eh?(41) - this time a live recording by the trio of Ricardo Arias, Miguel Frasconi, Keiko Uenishi from the NY Sculpture Centre in 2004. Object presents the concert/work by the unusual trio: Ricardo on balloons, Frasconi glass objects and Uenishi computer. The photo (a similar one is on the cover) is from Frasconi's blog/site well weathered music and I have made it larger than usual so that you get an idea of the set-up.






The balloon kit allows for soft and hard rubbing on the balloons, which would appear to be close miked, squeaking and groaning, stretching, more gentle sensitive sounds and percussive soft thuds. In his glass kit Frasconi rubs glasses, jangles them, strikes like a bell, blow over openings to resonate, chiming; and the laptop slowly reveals itself, sometimes subtle hums and buzzes, undertones and through tones and possibly some processing but not sure.

The structure of the album is terrific and allows you to understand the different components. The concert was divided into trio/solo/duo/solo/trio/duo/solo/duo/trio - which means each player gets a solo which explains the individual sounds, the three possible duos get an outing and the three trios explore the full extent - the final one is an extended conclusion to the album. You can imagine what it might sound like, the reality is even more impressive.

And so throughout the 50 minutes we hear a range of sound combinations and moods - there are loud passages, more restrained sections, subtlety and roars. The prime mood is of delicacy, introspection and exploration, but with periods of excitement and denser movement. Overall beautifully balanced and fascinating.

bullock, coleman, gross, roden: Untitled, or not yet

Untitled, or not yet is an album of improvisation recorded in 2003 and now made available on (1.8)sec.records. Michael Bullock plays contrabass, James Coleman Theremin, David Gross alto sax and Steve Roden voice, objects and eletronics. Some well known names, though Steve Roden is less familiar in this context - his forte has been solo works (often site related), a few done as duos, but not a quartet of improvisers before. Track titles have what for me are very Roden names, and have echoes of some of his other releases, starting with low drifting. beneath beams of wind. Here the sax opens with long blowing tones, the bass adds gentle thumps, a strange hiccupy voice and then Theremin hum woobling. The sax is the focus but the other elements join it in a parallel movement towards the slow fade in an equal exchange.

The words which occur to me most frequently while listening to this album were delicate fragile and edge. The music seems likely to fall apart at any time: Gross' sax is mostly hovering on the edge between a breath and a note, the Theremin adds its poignant tones and Roden clatters things but also sings with his strangely naive wordlessness. You can sense the fine line that the individuals and the group were walking, the edge, between chaos and striking music, between noise and sound, between delicacy and hollowness. They come close at times to losing it, but recover and keep the mesmeric tension aloft.

The pieces are indescribable as they shift between sections: but some observations, comments. The four players are equal - the bass is important for tones, scratching, notes and percussive effects - while the sax, voice and Theremin exchange leads but also have wonderful periods where they are in parallel. The things that Roden plays seem varied, clattering noises, blowing bottles, some electronica, possibly radio. At first the Theremin seems underused, but as you listen more closely its part is there as part of the balance. Gross uses all of the quieter sounds that can be garnered from the sax across the album tones, blowing and more stable, popping, simple notes.

Resonant planes. hums and blisters is the longest track and the most varied as the group moves through various moods, while the later tracks such as Steam engines. lilting dances are more concentrated on a mood or movement.

This is another album that I have lived with for a time - and each listen reveals depths and subtleties of this album. It took a long time to get released, and a while for me to review it, but it is a delicate master work and a pleasure to listen to. And it is always exciting to hear one of your favourite musicians in a different context.

And speaking of that favourite musician - Steve Roden is also a fabulous painter, sculptor and possibly filmmaker (I say possibly because I have only seen the stills of his films on his website)so a PS - have a look at his art works at the Vielmetter Gallery - some lovely examples of his latest works (I am jealous of those in LA who can go and visit it!) There are even more on his web-site.