Keith Rowe / Sachiko M / Toshimaru Nakamura / Otomo Yoshihide - ErstLive 005

Brian Olewnick · May-9th-2005, 01:34 PM

Figuring enough people have at least had enough time to begin to digest this thing. Really hard to put one's aural arms around it both because of its sheer length and, perhaps more, because of its lack of overt structure. For me, there is indeed a direction and even a goal, the latter reached over the last 50-60 minutes. I think of it as a stripping-away of "unnecessary" elements, even allowing that many of those elements have their own kind of beauty. But this quartet is rather ruthless (or rigorous) in that regard, relentlessly paring things down until only essences remain. It may be somewhat inevitable that the final territory is a kind of drone, but exactly what sort of drone (containing what kind of beauty) is a specific result of the choices made by these four musicians over the preceding three hours and one that, to these ears, is immensely satisfying. That section is probably my favorite chunk of new music of any kind since the Doris session.

The other thing about this set is captured beautifully in Toshi's notes which I made reference to when the discs were released. His (as I read it) striving for an equivalency between making art and the actions of everyday life is something that's certainly been focussed on as a goal before by others but is approached unusually closely here. The naturalness, the unforced unfurling of sounds, the pure patience and appreciation of the small moment is a joy to hear. In any case, Toshi says it better than I can:

********************
Four hours....

Case 1: from 20:00 to 24:00 of the 14th of May, 2004.
Played a concert with Sachiko M, Otomo Yoshihide and Keith Rowe at Backfabrick in Berlin.

Case 2: from 13:00 to 17:00 of the 21st of January, 2005.
Pitched dirty clothes into a washing machine.
Chopped shiitake mashroom, spring onion, carrot and tofu into pieces, grated a small piece of ginger, and crushed a piece of garlic. Dropped some oil into a wok and put on a cooker, and wait until smoke started arise. Fried noodle for a while and took them out from the wok and placed them on a dish. Cleaned the wok, and dropped a little bit of oil on it again, and started frying the other things. First carrot, then spring onion and mashrooms with ginger and garlic. Put the noodle back to the wok along with tofu. Sprayed some rice wine and a little bit of soy sauce, rolled them over a couple of times and stirred them for a few more second. Ate them all, and washed the dish, the chopsticks and the wok.
Fixed myself a cup of tea, sat there, thought nothing in ascending steam from the tea cup.
Got a call from a friend of mine, and answered "maybe" to all his questions and hang up.
Stood up and went over to the washing machine, took out the washing, and brought them by the window on upstairs. Got a call on my mobile from the other friend, and told him that I'd call him back because I was busy with trying to get rid of some wrinkles on my wet shirt. Stayed upstairs because it was warmer than downstairs, and seemingly had a little nap for sometime. Got a call from the irritating friend of mine because I had not called him back. And answered "no" to all his words. Felt guilty for what I had done to those friends for a while, and anyway those emotion and thought never stays too long.

Sergio Zamora · May-9th-2005, 02:21 PM

This has been a tough one to really absorb, but the experience has been fantastic. In many ways, it's the antithesis of Rowe/Beins not only in its length, but its lack of immediacy, its level of abstraction (within the context of this music, of course), and its incredibly detailed structure.

Whereas R/B was short, harsh, and balls-to-the-wall powerful, within its length EL 005 alternates between meditative and violent, from rugged and coarse to light and aethereal. Many tmes within the course of a single track.

As I mentioned before, before listening for the first time, I had heard allusions to Feldman's SQ 2, and initially I tried very hard to make an overt connection. While not entirely futile, I didn't get much out of that approach. Finally, after listening to it as an independent work without referencing other works, I started seeing the main connection; that is, the diversity of sound explorations occurring sometimes in tandem, sometimes one after another, almost like independent little episodes or sketches within the whole piece. Independently, they're as wonderful as listening to a Feldman exerpt. As a whole, the results differ from Feldman in the obvious level of concentration involved in the improvisation process in order to maintain such overall coherence.

At this point, I can more or less identify who is doing what when I listen to this kind of music, but nevertheless the amount of egolessness in the process is admirable. This could have easily been the Keith Rowe Experience or Otomo Show, but it almost seems like Rowe just backs out completely in some sections. And there are few musicians in the area of music under discussion with more sympathetic ears and heart than Toshi N and Ms Matsubara.

I still haven't grasped the thing as a whole yet, but I'm diggin' the hell out of the process.

Brian Olewnick · May-10th-2005, 11:39 AM

Jeez. It's like a damn Malfatti performance around here....

Jon Abbey · May-10th-2005, 12:03 PM

The Indigestible Document

hatta · May-10th-2005, 02:15 PM

It is a lot to get through and of course there is no cessation of other music to hear but I have to say that it met and exceeded my initial expectations. My hope was that this would be like Good Morning, Good Night but brought to the next level. GMGN is a favorite, in my top 10 Erst list but I think that it lacks certain dynamics and tension. I was hoping that the meticulous attention of that trio would be challenged and brought to even higher places by this collaboration. I think that this challenge was met and it is further testament to Keith's sensitivity and touch that he did this in such an appropriate way that complements and extends but does not clash with that trio. I do recall that a response to the quartet was part of the concept of this grouping and I find that in certain ways parallels to the long Feldman works are relevant. I think that it is in pacing and focus more so then in direction and feel, which makes sense to me as I think this is what one would attempt to capture in the improvised context. And yet as others have mentioned it does feel to have forward momentum a sense of direction. I was immediately struck from my first full listen through with the third disc particularly the final hour that seemed to transcend even the beautiful and powerful music that proceeded it.

I've been pretty much wrapped up in other stuff the last couple of weeks, but I think I'm going to listen to this again today. It will certainly take many more listens (and I really need a full open air listen) before I could speak of specific portions of the piece.

crawjo · May-18th-2005, 12:24 PM

From an email to Jon, about this music:

EL-005 is indeed very daunting music. I've listened to it all the way through I think four times so far, and I find the listening experience tremendously pleasurable, but I couldn't even begin to figure out how to put what I'm hearing in words, or to "summarize" the experience. It's much too fleeting a kind of beauty for that, I think. I think the Buddhists have a belief that if you don't have anything important to say, don't say anything at all, so my silence on EL-005 is out of respect for the music which it documents. I love it--it's easily at the top of my list of favorite recordings of 2005, but I don't feel ready or able to articulate why it is so special. In a way, it might be like watching a stream of water, carrying different objects, leaves, pieces of grass, twigs, maybe even some garbage, in a constant flow, always passing you by, never standing still.

Jon Abbey · May-20th-2005, 09:34 AM

I'm not sure if this is one of Ed's better efforts, but at least he took a crack at it. did you get the go-ahead to review this one for AMG, Brian?

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3033

Brian Olewnick · May-20th-2005, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Abbey

I'm not sure if this is one of Ed's better efforts, but at least he took a crack at it. did you get the go-ahead to review this one for AMG, Brian?

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/review.php?ID=3033

Nope, not yet. Not holding my breath.

Uli · May-20th-2005, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Olewnick

Nope, not yet. Not holding my breath.

did amg finally smarten up on the scheme?

letchhausen · July-9th-2005, 05:46 PM

Tonight I went to my audio dealer's place (Experience Audio here in Seattle) and sat down to sample some discs on approximately $30,000 worth of high-end stereo goodness.

The real deal was listening to the entire first disc of Erstlive 005. This was stunning. The placement of the sounds was amazing. One of the things that helped was the very well damped acoustics. My own stereo is no slouch but I live in a studio apartment downtown so there is a fair amount of ambient noise, buses, the firestation down the block, crackheads arguing in the alley etc. But here it was completely silent. I am still blown away by this work. The microevents that open up and reveal this densely textured topography of, not silence, but something akin. It's like if you realized that you can divide the area under the curve infinitely and thus constantly reveal a measurable quantity again and again. And that within this area is a microverse, noisy and teaming in the most fragile way yet with events, that within its sphere, are mountains cracking across continents. The sine waves take silence and open up that psychogeographic head space so that you realize if you tilt your ear, that there is something going on in the upper region you can barely hear. Thus silence becomes silence with a sense of space. I'm not sure where but I think that it was in track one where you get that brief moment of guitar notes, and in two there emerges almost a short tuneful call and response and the papery extended distortion in three, all become macroevents in this delicate area. The interaction almost seamless in the way they work together. It's riveting, powerful and psychic. The recording is awesome, the sounds very palpable. This is music that defies my lame attempts at description yet whose effect is so profound that it compels me to try.

I have heard the rest of this set and my description applies there as well though not as specifically. I find this to be a watershed release and this experience excited me enough to blab about it here. Perhaps it also was that in the dark of this room I finally gave it the attention it needed. I have been excited about this disc since I got it but here I had 100% focus on the piece. And the listening paid off in one of those epiphanic moments. It also has me looking for online deals on flights to NY to see the Rowe/Nakamura duo.

I have a huge Erst order on the way and after I suss out some of the shinier diamonds, I'm gonna try and schedule some more demo time in the anechoic chamber. Erupting out of silence, hell yeah!

walto · July-10th-2005, 08:05 AM

I think that session is a testament to how high the production values are on Ersts, generally. Uniformly excellent engineering.

Jon Abbey · July-10th-2005, 08:22 AM

thanks, Walt. it's the mastering as much as the recording in a lot of cases. I didn't know you'd heard this four hour set?

walto · July-10th-2005, 12:05 PM

Ah, I see my post was a bit ambiguous. With "session" I was referring to lechhausen's high-end listening session. I haven't heard that particular release, but I'm not surprised to hear that the sound is great.

Re: mastering, I completely agree. It's as much art as science, and some people are just better at it.

Jon Abbey · January-5th-2006, 10:37 AM

up, for three reasons:

1) almost no one had anything to say first time around, maybe people have more now?

2) it was picked best of the year by the nice gents at One Final Note:

http://www.onefinalnote.com/features/2006/top-10/

3) but mostly because Reynolds finally got a copy last week.

Steve Reynolds · January-5th-2006, 10:45 AM

I'm in the middle of it

halfway through the second disc

don't know if I will have the opportunity to give it the full deal this weekend - all 3 discs in a row - on my home stereo through the speakers - maybe this Sunday afternoon - but my wife can't take the sine waves.....

I love the simple packaging - artwork is stunning as are the photographs - very elegant

crawjo · January-5th-2006, 11:34 AM

I've been listening to this again over the past week, and for the first time, I feel like the music is really hitting me. Before I think the massive scale of the set was a bit overwhelming for me, sort of like standing at the foot of a really imposing cliff. But for whatever reason, this time I was able to follow the progression more clearly, and pick up more of the nuances and interactions between the musicians.

I think I will have to make this my top pick for 2005.

Jon Abbey · January-29th-2006, 10:28 AM

up again, for Reynolds or anyone else who has actually heard it...

Steve Reynolds · January-30th-2006, 07:47 AM

trying to get the words for this music

hopefully within a week or so

chuckyd4 · July-24th-2007, 03:15 AM

So this is an old topic to bring up, but I'm always behind the curve, so whatever. In any case, I just heard this set for the first time (d/l'ed it - don't worry Jon, I'll be putting in an order after my next paycheck). As virtually everyone alludes to, it is a lot to handle/take in/react to on a first listen. Add to that the fact that I'm a novice with this stuff (just haven't heard that much, compared to some other kinds of music), and my observations aren't likely to be too profound.

In any case, I would urge anyone with open ears and some endurance to at least try this one out. And by endurance, I'm just referring to the length: 4 hours is a lot of any one thing, no matter whether it's commercial or not. I would have a much harder time sitting through 4 hours of Rihanna's "Umbrella" than I would through this set.

My main impression was how unrelentingly intense it seems to be. Even in the quieter sections, with just some kind of a low tone coming in and out of some sine waves (sorry, still not clear on what, exactly, is producing the different sounds), the gradual accumulation of volume can be pretty unsettling, tense and almost disturbing or frightening.

I was also struck, however, by why people started referring to this stuff as "egoless." That is to say, I very much enjoyed the way the whole piece evolved through sections, or movements, with seemingly unrelated instruments in a constant progression of coalescence and dissociation. It's like the music itself would slough off or accrete various sound patterns as it sought new shape. Of course the reality is far less metaphysical, I'm sure (just three guys and a gal sitting in a room tweaking technology), but that's intended as a compliment to their attentiveness and highly attuned reactions to one another.

Finally, as with a few other albums I have in this same "genre," I always find it interesting how this music is way more physical than anything else I have. I'm not just referring to the thing where you can shake your head and the sine waves sound different. For instance, I was listening to it some in my car (I know, shame shame - but my car stereo is arguably better than my home stereo, and I can roll up the windows and crank it without my dog or girlfriend going crazy), and parts of it were almost all-consuming, physically speaking. Like, the trunk was rattling, my leg against the door was vibrating, and the high tones were all over the place. At least I had a match for the Lil' Wayne vibrations I faced off with at numerous red lights.

So those are some of my amateurish impressions, but definitely something I'll be going back to, seeing how else it strikes me in future listens.

chuckyd4 · July-24th-2007, 03:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by letchhausen

The real deal was listening to the entire first disc of Erstlive 005. This was stunning. The placement of the sounds was amazing. One of the things that helped was the very well damped acoustics. My own stereo is no slouch but I live in a studio apartment downtown so there is a fair amount of ambient noise, buses, the firestation down the block, crackheads arguing in the alley etc. But here it was completely silent. I am still blown away by this work. The microevents that open up and reveal this densely textured topography of, not silence, but something akin. It's like if you realized that you can divide the area under the curve infinitely and thus constantly reveal a measurable quantity again and again. And that within this area is a microverse, noisy and teaming in the most fragile way yet with events, that within its sphere, are mountains cracking across continents. The sine waves take silence and open up that psychogeographic head space so that you realize if you tilt your ear, that there is something going on in the upper region you can barely hear. Thus silence becomes silence with a sense of space. I'm not sure where but I think that it was in track one where you get that brief moment of guitar notes, and in two there emerges almost a short tuneful call and response and the papery extended distortion in three, all become macroevents in this delicate area. The interaction almost seamless in the way they work together. It's riveting, powerful and psychic. The recording is awesome, the sounds very palpable. This is music that defies my lame attempts at description yet whose effect is so profound that it compels me to try.

I love this! (Hadn't actually read the thread when I wrote what I wrote.) The calculus of erstlive 005. Definitely.

Jon Abbey · July-24th-2007, 10:21 AM

glad you dug it, Chucky! I find it pretty hard to believe that MP3s do this release much justice, you're in for a treat when you get around to the real thing.

claude · July-24th-2007, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckyd4

I would have a much harder time sitting through 4 hours of Rihanna's "Umbrella" than I would through this set.

I would have an easier time sitting through the sound of rabid dogs eating my testicles (while they were still attached) than sitting through 4 minutes of that shit!!

chuckyd4 · July-24th-2007, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Abbey

glad you dug it, Chucky! I find it pretty hard to believe that MP3s do this release much justice, you're in for a treat when you get around to the real thing.

I completely get where you're coming from, and I agree with you. FWIW, the version I got is a pretty high encoding - lossy, but not too much. But yeah, particularly with this music that's so enmeshed with subtle nuances, the real thing (even on my relatively crappy system) should be a nice step up.

Also, as a fellow downloader, thanks for understanding that d/l'ing doesn't necessarily equal a lost sale. Anything that's worth keeping around I try to buy when I have the dough. Also helps me test out new artists I probably wouldn't just jump headfirst into buying; a lot of times, even if I don't buy the original album I heard, I'll buy 3 or 4 others by the same artist, solely on the strength of that one. Anyway, little tirade to say thanks for not being mad that I stole from you, cause it's gonna result in more income for you.

Jon Abbey · July-24th-2007, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckyd4

Also, as a fellow downloader, thanks for understanding that d/l'ing doesn't necessarily equal a lost sale. Anything that's worth keeping around I try to buy when I have the dough. Also helps me test out new artists I probably wouldn't just jump headfirst into buying; a lot of times, even if I don't buy the original album I heard, I'll buy 3 or 4 others by the same artist, solely on the strength of that one. Anyway, little tirade to say thanks for not being mad that I stole from you, cause it's gonna result in more income for you.

yeah, I'm well aware. I've found the way it works for me is I end up buying about the same amount, but I'm much happier with my purchases overall.

Sergio Zamora · July-24th-2007, 07:06 PM

That's a nice review there, Chuck. I don't think I ever got around to writing any detailed commentary on this one because it was such an overwhelming listen that I just didn't know what to say. I haven't listened to it in a while, but what was really amazing was the level of organization these four musicians demonstrated in what is ostensibly a fully improvised recording. You can hear passages and sections and structures in the music that almost sound like they're at least partly planned. The way the collaborations break down and you hear musicians moving to the foreground or background so seamlessly that, again, you'd think they'd been planning this for a long time. The outcome is not only beautifully coherent but downright cinematic at times. I recall a couple of passages that could easily be used in horror movies, but that's not really what I mean by cinematic. I'm not sure I could describe it.

Steve Reynolds · July-28th-2007, 04:52 PM

I don't know that I have written much about this recording either...

over the last 2 years I have listened to it many times - not always continuously - and it is almost overwhelmingly munificent. This, along with Hands of Caravaggio, Schnee and a few other ersts - remain some of the music that takes me places that are very good for my inner peace and well being.

Soon, I will be ordering the more recent erst discs with Rowe - hopefully very soon.