Recordings
Joni Void. Selfless. It’s hard to be lo-fi in the twenty-first century. Even the most rudimentary contemporary sound recorders—on a smartphone or laptop, say—lack the auditory artifacts so fetishized by connoisseurs of tape and vinyl and emulated by much contemporary sampling and plunderphonics[...] Read more
Kelly Moran. Bloodroot. You know you’re onto a captivating recording when you’re so mesmerized by the music that you barely notice the unusual manner in which it was created. Pianist Kelly Moran employs various preparations, including screw-and-bolt obstructions à la Cage and long tones sustained[...] Read more
Philippe Lauzier. A Pond in my Living Room. Exploring the sophisticated capacities of overdubbing, Montreal-based bass clarinettist Philippe Lauzier has created a multilayered program, which emphasizes not only the reedy tones but also the consolidated air currents emanating from his instrument. Like an action painter who works in[...] Read more
Eyvind Kang / Jessika Kenney. Reverse Tree. Singer Jessika Kenney and viola player Eyvind Kang have released albums of a decidedly austere beauty. Their music has tinges of early medieval ritualistic song and of classical repertoire from the Middle East. Its calm pace turns its gaze inward, hovering over a dusky stillness, over[...] Read more
Harris Eisenstadt Canada Day. On Parade in Parede; Harris Eisenstadt. Recent Developments. Having reached a comfortable maturity in his playing and composing, Toronto-born, Brooklyn-based percussionist Harris Eisenstadt isn’t averse to showcasing his talents in varied settings. With On Parade in Parede, the drummer has created a spirited post-bop session with his Canada Day[...] Read more
Paul Dolden. Histoires d’histoires. Paul Dolden is a maximalist’s maximalist, combining literally hundreds of simultaneous acoustic tracks of standard orchestral instruments, augmented with rock drums and guitars and spiced with exotic instruments. So great is the attention paid to the minutest detail of each track that[...] Read more
Dario Calderone. James Tenney Bass Works. In 1983, composer James Tenney posed the question: Why is a compound tone consisting of many harmonic partials perceived as a single tone? He apparently didn’t find a satisfactory answer, and surmised that the solution must reside in the listeners themselves. That is where the music is[...] Read more
Leblanc / Vincente / Antunes / Ferreira Lopes. A Square Meal Portugal has a vibrant free-jazz scene with prolific record labels like Clean Feed, prominent festivals like Jazz Em Agosto, and a plethora of world-class performers. This CD brings together two such musicians from Lisbon, trumpeter Luís Vicente and double bassist Hugo Antunes, with[...] Read more
Lisa Cay Miller. 682/681 Recorded in one day-long session, this CD has Vancouver composer and pianist Lisa Cay Miller matching tones and techniques with ten Amsterdam-based improvisers in duo or trio configurations. Although the twenty-two [!] meetings confirm her ability and adaptability, the few extended tracks[...] Read more
Ensemble Paramirabo / Thin Edge New Music Collective. Raging Against the Machine. Toronto’s Thin Edge New Music Collective joins forces with Montreal’s Ensemble Paramirabo for this double-sextet album that mixes two modern classics with three new Canadian works inspired by them. The more famous composers bookend the album. First up is Steve[...] Read more
Jim Denley & Éric Normand. Plant. Working the sweet spot where noise communication decisively rubs up against textural experimentation are the verdant improvisations that make up Plant, the new LP from Rimouski-based electric bassist Éric Normand and Australian alto saxophonist and bass flautist Jim Denley. Don’[...] Read more
Vicky Chow. A O R T A. One hundred years ago, Erik Satie coined the phrase furniture music. The French composer and pianist applied the term—Musique d’ameublement, more correctly translated as “furnishing music”—to short repetitive pieces meant to be heard as background music in[...] Read more
- 21 of 41
- « first
- ‹ previous
- next ›
- last »