Nick Dunston

Described variously as an Afro-Surrealist Anti-Opera or a warped juke box of chaos, American bassist Nick Dunston’s magnum opus, Colla Voce isn’t that easily defined. Mostly impelled by the textures from four voices, eight string players and a percussionist, the 13-part program is less straight forward since the timbres are affected and distorted by live processing and further post-processing by Dunston, who has also played with the likes of Tyshawn Sorey and Marc Ribot, and is also a notated composer.

The strained and affiliated string portions judder back and forth, while vocals are seldom harmonized. Instead the voices are spangled with moans, cut-off breaths, hysterical cries, gargles and incomprehensible mumbles. They are further splintered by the introduction of mechanized drones, shaking vibrations, backwards running processing and speedy flanges. Individual passages veer among what could be a garbled soundtrack to a bondage session, pressurized synthesized experiments, a formal string concerto and bel canto singing. While the vocalists’ tessitura is highlighted as it’s splintered, there are other sections where the oppressive mechanical processing reaches a crescendo of undifferentiated mass.

Among the wavering and oscillating tones a track like “Fully Turbulent” stands out in that it’s possible to identify individual tones. Meeting are thin pressurized string tones advancing col legno slaps and sul ponticello squeals alongside layered vocalizing that encompasses raspberries and overdubbed voices. Thick double bass strokes underpin all. Later on guitar strokes replicate banjo-like clangs while the female voices sometimes chirp, warble and burble. More often however any leanings towards lyricism are fragmented into intense muttering with few unconnected phrases or words audible. Eventually the disc concludes with the eponymous titled track. This climax blends metallic drones, processed samples. yodeling and mewling voices plus ringing slapped and bowed string stops and a final loud buzz.

Intriguing during its hour-plus elaboration, Colla Voce demonstrates Dunston’s multiple concerns and creativity. Opera is probably too limiting a description though. Perhaps an undifferentiated or concentrated sound exhibition would better sum up the program.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Ova’churr 2. Designated Antagonist 3. Pseudocorridor 4. Blinding, Joyous, Fearful 5. Fully Turbulent 6. Lo and Behold 7. HYDROGEN 8. ARGON 9. OXYGEN 10. Anglo-Adjacent Phonetic Approximations 11. Nearly Turbulent 12. A Rolling Wave of Everything 13. Colla Voce

Personnel: Maria Reich (violin, viola); Tal Yahalom (guitar); Anil Eraslan (cello); Nick Dunston (bass, post-processing); Moritz Baumgärtner (drums, percussion, megaphone); JACK Quartet [Christopher Otto, Austin Wulliman (violins); John Richards (viola); Jay Campbell (cello)]; Cansu Tanrıkulu (voice, live processing); Sofia Jernberg, Isabel Crespo Pardo, Friede Merz (voices)