Anne LeBaron / Andrea Centazzo / Andrew Raffo Dewar

By Ken Waxman

Residing in a sound world whose equivalent antecedents include aleatory, signal processed and improvised music, the seven tracks of Encantamiento also feature players who move easily from one genre to another without fissure. Percussionist Andrea Centazzo is known for his jazz and soundtrack work; harpist Anne LeBaron for her compositions and interpretations; while saxophonist Andrew Raffo Dewar is an academic who apprenticed with Anthony Braxton.

Essentially the idea behind the disc is that of a self-contained process where not only are singular impulses muted, but where live electronics joined with Centazzo’s percussion collection, LeBaron’s use of electric harps and Dewar’s individualized soloing drain identifiable timbres from the instruments. About the only time clearly defined harp glissandi are heard, for instance, is during “Encantamientos V” and they’re soon superseded by split-tone yodels from the soprano saxophone. Elsewhere at points LeBaron’s plucks take on bottleneck-guitar-like reverb; Dewar’s timbres vary from needle-thin whistles to near-opaque flat-line blowing; while moving among vibraphone, booming kettle drum, maracas, wood blocks and other parts of a regular drum kit, Centazzo breaks up and dislocates the rhythm. Processed wave forms further mutate expected timbres. By “Encantamientos VII” however, bracketing electronic pulses draw back allowing the instruments to align, as the linking continuum shifts constantly among the three, Agitated oscillations are still audible but overall the theme narrows into a distinct forward motion until the finale. In Spanish, the CD title loosely translates as enchantment with a touch of magic. That too could serve as a description of the sounds here.

-For MusicWorks #129 Winter 2017