Lunge - Strong Language

Steve Reynolds · April-7th-2003, 04:25 PM

emanem4079

first 4 tracks recorded 6/1/02 live @ Bimhuis, Amsterdam (~ 3/4 of an hour)

ignore the last 2 tracks (~15 minutes recorded ~ 6 months earlier)

I wish emanem would discard their 55+ minutes mantra

this CD should only contain the 45 minute concert

Lunge is:

Gail Brand: trombone
Pat Thomas: acoustic piano & electronics
Phil Durrant: acoustic violin & electronics
Mark Sanders: percussion

and Joe C, I listened through it again to see if it is "more than interesting"

yeah - easily is much more than that - where the *great* Mark Sanders continuously threatens the groove, whether making the noises of a gnat or summoning the potential of the thunder of an incoming tidal wave - and this Phil Durrant dude - lordy lordy.....

and Ms. Brand owns the trombone like few others I know about - and her words describing this music might be the most apt ones I can think of:

"Now five years old, we have found our voice with STRONG LANGUAGE. Speaking as one, we share our group and individual inheritance of multiple musical styles and influences, ranging from quiet and sparse soundscapes to full throttle industrial onslaughts"

as I have mentioned elsewhere, record of the year - boys and girls

and it is the first recording I have heard that succesfully combines the best aspects of the european free improv tradition with the best qualities of the quieter aspects of eai.

another words - eai with a kick ass drummer-

No Filters, baby

Reid · April-7th-2003, 06:09 PM

Dang, sounds good.

I think someone else (was it Ben Watson) said that the studio cuts weren't as good, or something to that effect.

Well, this one definitely intrigues me.

Il Anto · April-7th-2003, 06:41 PM

Steve,

This is off the topic, but I was wondering who the guy on your avatar was. Forgive my ignorance.

Anthony

Steve Reynolds · April-7th-2003, 07:06 PM

it's the Captain

Captain Hate · April-7th-2003, 08:11 PM

I look much better than that now; just ask Blivins.

al j · April-7th-2003, 09:12 PM

Yeah Stevie, I listened to it again yesterday on the good headphones. Nothing earth shattering, though I agree fully with you about Mark Sanders. Like I said, "interesting" -- I'll even add "catchy" at times -- but record of the year? I'm glad we've still got some months ahead of us.

To be honest though, I like that the record doesn't end up as overly cerebral as the opening notes would like you to think it will be.

re: the best aspect of the Euro Free Improv tradition.. Yes. None of the dense, long stretches of full-on abstractions so often heard in that wide open genre. That said, I prefer Brand on this record to someone like Paul Rutherford when he's in the bubbly outer edges of his brain and horn. The reins are summarily tighter in that regard.

Captain Hate · June-23rd-2003, 09:49 PM

I listened to this for the first time in a while and ya know what: I found myself enjoying the last two cuts. I'll still agree that they are awkwardly out of place compared to the live ones but they hit me with profound sense of tranquility that I found strangely soothing.

I'll probably take this with me to Montreal so that I can crank it in the car (sans Madam Hate) and come to a final judgement. I agree with Al; this probably isn't my disc of the year (right now that's Exploding Customer with lots of time to go) but it is still very good. And I've listened to it probably more than any other 2003 disc.

Steve Reynolds · July-22nd-2003, 06:11 PM

up

the first listen coming out of my sombre period

*still* my record of the year - the 4th section (coda) is more than remarkable

pretty damn great for supposed "old school"

the talk of old VS. new was one of my reasons for taking in a period of quiet

Uli · July-22nd-2003, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Steve Reynolds
up

pretty damn great for supposed "old school"

the talk of old VS. new was one of my reasons for taking in a period of quiet

Tell us more about it! What are we witnessing here? The comeback of Stevie Ray as a latter day Wyntonite?

Sergio Zamora · July-22nd-2003, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Uli
Tell us more about it! What are we witnessing here? The comeback of Stevie Ray as a latter day Wyntonite?

Could it be? Is Stevie Rey the David Horowitz of music discussion? Say it ain't so, Stevie. Say it ain't so.

Steve Reynolds · July-22nd-2003, 07:51 PM

not exactly - but I did get *real* tired about listening to some say that what was done 2 years ago is now passe

and I happen to think that Lidingo ( first 2 tracks) are just about the most striking segments of sound that this boy has ever heard.....

doesn't mean it replaces music with drums though....

as *this* band is the absolute fucking shiz-nit - and if they played this same type of stuff 5 years from now - I still think it would be the shiz-nit

fact is, Gail Brand is the super deluxe shiz-nit - and one of the *greatest* trombone players I have ever heard - and I frankly don't give a shit that even one of the band members thinks this stuff is a bit passe

fact is - this is the most striking combination of jazz and electronic minimalism - that has ever happened - and this record proves it

and......Mark Sanders is the king of the potential burgeoning groove - and most people still don't know...

and with about 2 minutes left - when he seemingly hits the snare for a bout the third time on 45 minutes - the hairs oughtta be standin' up on all parts of one's body - that is - unless theyt have never listened - or listened waaay too much and are jaded to anything that includes a damn snare drum hit hard.....

blood and guts, baby

Mal Waldron, RIP

and now I'm gonna cry 'cause I never saw the great man live - my man of the quadralogue at a place known as Utopia......

snake out, baby

Jon Abbey · July-22nd-2003, 08:02 PM

Steve, do you know they have an earlier record on Acta?

http://www.shef.ac.uk/misc/rec/ps/ef...ta/acta13.html

blawless · July-23rd-2003, 09:38 AM

Do you prefer the Acta, or is that just general infomation?

frankpop1 · July-23rd-2003, 10:17 AM

well, i put it in my top ten list last yr. i like durrant and i dont think the old school comment is really a criticism as much as a comment on style. i like sanders and agree that Gail Brand delivered a striking performance. however, the electronics spiked my interest on this set.

Jon Abbey · July-23rd-2003, 10:55 AM

blaw, it was just general info. I remember liking Braced and Framed a fair amount when it came out in 2000, and this new one does nothing for me, but I'm guessing that most of that is due to my changing tastes in the interim rather than how the two actually compare to each other.

July-23rd-2003, 06:17 PM

I'll be experiencing Phil Durrant for the first time tomorrow, live.

This is my time to be:

a) Totally amazed.

b) Bored.

c) Seeing the Minions for the bunch of Wire magazine-subscribing, hipness-mongering, obscurity-mining charlatans that they just might be.

d) Finding the music merely adequate.

He's hoping for a), d), or even b).

Jon Abbey · July-23rd-2003, 08:07 PM

who's he playing with, Alex?

Jon Abbey · July-23rd-2003, 08:25 PM

never mind, I see, it's the Erase and Reset night Ignaz Schick put together in Berlin.

I predict your response will be boredom with the overall music, and that you'll be left with no impression of Phil whatsoever, he's extremely difficult to pick out of larger groups, especially in all-electronic groupings like this. I left the 24 hour MIMEO show with probably less of a musical impression of him than of anyone else in the band.

I also predict that you'll give this 12 hour performance maybe 90 minutes of your attention, but that if you stuck around for the whole thing or most of it, you'd find some pretty great parts (although I'm unfamiliar with about half of the musicians taking part).

Captain Hate · July-23rd-2003, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex
I'll be experiencing Phil Durrant for the first time tomorrow, live.

This is my time to be:

a) Totally amazed.

b) Bored.

c) Seeing the Minions for the bunch of Wire magazine-subscribing, hipness-mongering, obscurity-mining charlatans that they just might be.

d) Finding the music merely adequate.

He's hoping for a), d), or even b).

If you send Uli a proxy, smart money is on c.

Uli · July-23rd-2003, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Captain Hate
If you send Uli a proxy, smart money is on c.

Fweiw, I rate Durrant much higher than let's say Malfatti.

Pete C · July-23rd-2003, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jon Abbey
I left the 24 hour MIMEO show with probably less of a musical impression of him than of anyone else in the band.

Don't those guys ever have to pee?

Jon Abbey · July-23rd-2003, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete C
Don't those guys ever have to pee?

only maybe half of it was the 12tet together, "tutti", the rest of it was subgroupings. most of the band slept at least a little at some point, Gert-Jan Prins and Christian Fennesz each probably got close to eight hours in.

Sergio Zamora · July-24th-2003, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Pete C
Don't those guys ever have to pee?

You don't wanna know how they do it.

mke · July-24th-2003, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Uli
Fweiw, I rate Durrant much higher than let's say Malfatti.

When did you join the "musician raters"?

Uli · July-24th-2003, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mke
When did you join the "musician raters"?

I didn't. Jus talking in the language they understand.

July-25th-2003, 05:28 PM

Well, I gave it even less attention than Abbey predicted, because personal obligations got in the way and I didn't make the show at all.

Looks like I'll just have to wait 'til the Abbey-Fest in Koeln and Berlin next year.

Hey, I *did* see Gerry Hemingway in duo with John Butcher once, and loved it. Does that count as EAI?

Anything to get you hipsters to love me. I'm like the kid who hangs around the tree-house, doing menial tasks to curry favor. And Sergio's grateful because then he's no longer the biggest dork.

Jon Abbey · July-25th-2003, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex
Looks like I'll just have to wait 'til the Abbey-Fest in Koeln and Berlin next year.

um, that's the Rowe/Abbey-Fest this time around. it'll be worth the wait, I doubt you'll be bored any of those nights.

Quote:

Hey, I *did* see Gerry Hemingway in duo with John Butcher once, and loved it. Does that count as EAI?

my vote would be close, but no cigar. no electronics to start (or virtually none, I'm guessing, having not seen the set in question). when they played here a couple of years ago, John was surprised that I bothered to attend. he knew it wasn't my kind of thing, although I like both musicians to different degrees in various contexts.

Sergio Zamora · July-30th-2003, 06:36 PM

Listening to this for the first time.

It's the shizzle to the izzle. My friend Stizzle to the Rizzle was right.

Sergio Zamora · July-30th-2003, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex
And Sergio's grateful because then he's no longer the biggest dork.

Never gonna happen. I fuckin' rule.

Assuming that the show you saw was close to the Butcher/Hemingway cd I've heard, I'd say it's free improv (floabw) that is much closer to jazz than say Lehn/Hemingway or Butcher/Durrant. I like the cd, but it's not e-ai (floabw)

Gary Sisco · August-2nd-2003, 08:23 AM

Tried ordering it from DMG but some mofo beat me to the last one. Now it's backordered but they say they can't guarantee they'll be able to get it again. Sheeit.