Davis/Eaton/Quass/Smith

Vandermark/Muche/Lehn/Blume
Sound Bridges
Jazz Werkstatt JW 213

Foussat/Parrenin/Rollet
Haut-Coeur
Fou Records FR-CD 42

Electro-acoustic sessions are now so common in improvised music that interactive diversity usually depends on the type of electronics being used. By chance, or perhaps flexibility, each of these sessions uses voltage projectors that are actually short of the cutting edge. A festival set, Sound Bridges matches the analog synthesizer techniques of Thomas Lehn with contributions from fellow Germans percussionist Martin Blume and trombonist Matthias Muche, plus the tenor saxophone/clarinet of American Ken Vandermark. All American, Ghost Tantras features four experienced and peripatetic players: trumpeter Kyle Quass, soprano/tenor saxophonist Michael Eaton, guitarist Seth Andrew Davis using laptop electronics and bassist Damon Smith. Meanwhile the French Haut-Coeur trio is based around the turbulence created by Jean-Marc Foussat’s AKS synthesizer and toys, Quentin Rollet’s alto/sopranino saxophones and small electronics and Emmanuelle Parrenin’s hurdy-gurdy. Murmured live and sampled voices are also heard.

Smith, who has contributed to creative music situations in many cities, is the steadying instrumental voice on Ghost Tantras’ eight selections since it’s often the bass pulse which maintains horizontal flow. He also factors in sequences of profound improvisation, including sul ponticello slices and other instances of bowed groove-making and pizzicato emphasis. His skill is most upfront on “Whahh”, which is the CD’s only all-acoustic track. With pressured strokes and picks, Smith’s pulses intersect with Davis’ subtle finger picking as Quass’ output moves from straight-ahead to half-valve emphasis in call-and-response with Eaton’s tongued slurs. Elsewhere bouncing wave form vibrations and hollow-sounding thumps define some of the themes.

Otherwise laptop electronics add voltage bumps, oscillating wiggles and ring-modulator-like clangs to the narratives that encompass both horn players use of extended techniques. Despite a few melody snatches, many motifs recall John Coltrane’s or Sonny Rollins’ sessions with Don Cherry. Because of this, at points the saxophonist is upfront as on “Yahoo”, where his high-pitched smears and split tones dominate. At the same time though, electronic wiggles and backwards-running flanges also take up some of the aural real estate. The most protracted instance of group interaction occurs on “Snahrr”. Gradually expanding even as it stays horizontal, the narrative mixes disconnected saxophone bites, trumpet peeps, double bass string pressure surrounded by ray-gun-like flanges constantly moving back and forth with intermittent shakes. Eventually straining brass triplets and slick reed vibrations are matched with chiming guitar licks and computer game-like electronic jiggles. But these consolidated polytones are prevented from vanishing into outer space miasma by Smith’s solid string plucks.

Sound Bridges could also be characterized as a conventional Free Jazz session, if that wasn’t an oxymoron. That’s because Lehn’s electronic interface is integrated within the advancing improvisations as if it was an acoustic instrument. Used to comp and accent the expositions, the synthesizer’s sounds aren’t distinguished from or emphasized any more than from what the others are playing. Specifically the machine’s jiggling oscillations or electronic gurgles often become part of a tandem interface along with Muche’s elongated portamento, Vandermark’s reed intonation and Blume’s ruffs and rolled rebounds. A track like “Aspect Ratio” for instance, features saxophone snarls and bites vibrating around half-valve brass flutters and clip-clop drumming with the bottle top pops and crackles from the synthesizer accentuating the exposition. When Vandermark switches to clarion clarinet chanting, it’s Lehn’s buzzes, flanges and chiming timbres which toughen the narrative. “Arc Shot” emphasizes the four-part interchange at greater length. Bubbling reed split tones and slapping percussion patterns define the exposition until gutbucket brass slurs accompanied by synthesizer washes toughen sound movement. As both horns define broken chord affiliation with Vandermark’s output moving slowly upwards and Muche’s slowly downwards, the subsequent jolt to linear improvising is provided by Blume’s carefully situated drum strokes and shuffles. The climax comes with the interconnection of trumpet plunger tones, reed split tones, drum thumps and synthesizer vibrations.

Haut-Coeur is contrast is the most electronically focused of these CDs, with Foussat and Rollet modifying timbres with voltage processing and Parrenin’s hurdy-gurdy cranking out a primitive version of electro-acoustic surges. Also more claustrophobic than the other discs, further textures are added by occasionally injecting pre-recorded voices that have timbres midway between davening and melisma. From “à Fleur” the first track, onwards, the crests, whooshes and clatter from Foussat’s instrument is a constant. Soon ring modulator-like pings, car tire-like screeches and thin whistling meet up with hurdy-gurdy buzzes as well s Carnatic-style vocals and reed trills. The saxophonist increases his contributions as the session advances. This is especially noticeable on the subsequent “à Corps” whose second half is dominated by reed spetrofluctuation, double-tonguing and aviary whistles that carve a place within the influx of synthesizer and hurdy gurdy wobbling tones. This solidifies the equivalency suggested earlier, as synthesizer thumps, sax shrills and hurdy gurdy swells are underlined by pseudo percussion. Layered with reed split tones and vocal mumbles at the top, hurdy gurdy squeaks subsequently move the narrative upwards to climax with a collective drone. As the session reaches its concluding minutes, melismatic vocalizing, computer-game-like whizzing and faux percussion become higher pitched as Rollet adds doits and smears. Finally multiple timbres are matched and dispersed as electronic drones and human mumbles complete the connection. Equally valid, each disc highlights one proactive way to be creativity when allying electric-acoustic instruments.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Ghost: 1. Ooogreeshk 2. Snahrr 3. Gritooorm 4. Whahh 5. Raooor 6. Aieooo 7. Hrahhhrr-Noh 8. Yahoo

Personnel: Ghost: Kyle Quass (trumpet); Michael Eaton (soprano and tenor saxophones); Seth Andrew Davis (guitar and laptop electronics) and Damon Smith (bass)

Track Listing: Sound: 1. Aperture 2. Aspect Ratio 3. The Thirty-Nine Steps 4. Arc Shot 5. Overlapping Edges

Personnel: Sound: Matthias Muche (trombone); Ken Vandermark (tenor saxophone and clarinet); Thomas Lehn (analog synthesizer) and Martin Blume (drums and percussion)

Track Listing: Haut: 1. à Fleur 2. à Corps 3. à Vif 4. Amour

Personnel: Haut: Quentin Rollet (alto and sopranino saxophones, small electronics); Emmanuelle Parrenin (hurdy-gurdy and voice) and Jean-Marc Foussat (AKS synthesizer, toys and voice)