Sep 5 2015
Free Download: Wayne Horvitz – “Monologue: Twenty Compositions for Dance”
For some time, I’ve been wanting to write a series of columns about one of my favorite musicians, Wayne Horvitz. Aside from the typical scarcity of time, the unexpected problem I encountered was how to present the material. The question of how to structure a column(s) idea was more troublesome than I realized in the days before I first began this site. Thankfully, Wayne Horvitz has just provided the method to accomplish this.
In honor of his 60th birthday, of which 35 years has been spent recording (and releasing) his music, Wayne has announced that he will be giving away a free track once a week for the entire year. That’s fifty-two songs to add to your library as you begin (or continue) to explore his wonderful catalog. He mentions in the announcement that some of this material was either previously unavailable or released in a limited format, so even if you, like me, have amassed a huge collection of Horvitz’s music to date, there are likely going to be items that we haven’t yet encountered… not to mention those projects which we can rediscover with the spotlight clearing the dust from their surface.
And me, I’m going to write something about every one of those downloads after each is released. Now, keep in mind, those tracks will only be free for the week of their release… so be sure to check in here often. Also, you can stay up to date on the status of these free tracks by following Wayne on his Facebook page and also on Twitter. He’ll be releasing these tracks each Tuesday, so as far as the current free track goes, you have only a couple days to get to it. So, about that free track…
Let’s begin.
Wayne Horvitz – Monologue: Twenty Compositions for Dance
So much of the music of Wayne Horvitz has a cinematic quality to it, eliciting vibrant, sharp imagery, and voiced with a definitive point of view not unlike the framing of a storyline plot. Even the casual music listener, once exposed to enough of Horvitz’s music, will begin to recognize his singular form of expressionism. Horvitz has been involved in a vast array of projects, and many of them manifest with very different sounds, but the more that Horvitz’s fingerprints appear on a particular recording, the easier it becomes to recognize the music as belonging to him. His solo project resulting in the 1997 release Monologue: Twenty Compositions for Dance definitely fits that bill.
Horvitz has a long history mixing modern jazz, folk, rock, pop and classical with an arsenal of electronics and effects. It’s remarkable that he’s able to avail himself of so many influences and conjure up a piece that rings with such clarity. These pieces, even those that behave more as sonic vignettes than they do “songs,” they have very clear lines of definition and are colored and shaded in ways that allow the nuance and detail to shine as brightly as the boldest, broad strokes.
Of great appeal on Monologue is how Horvitz fuses ambient, introspective passages with the harsh, industrial personality of electronics and effects. Opening track “Shehechianu” gets right to the heart of this approach with its mix of short melodic bursts from piano juxtaposed against the sizzle and burn of electronics. “Hand Over Fist” also mines this vein, with its free form piano landing squarely against the dissonance of electronic effects… no less active and random than their acoustic counterpart.
The focus on motion is especially evident in tracks like “Brand Spankin’ New,” with its infectious exuberance and playful bounce, as well as tracks like “Duke” and “The Kiss,” which aren’t so much love songs as they are the embodiment of supremely romantic moments spent slowly dancing into the late hours of the night.
Some of the pieces present a single face, allowing one aspect of the music to shine strongest. “Doo Wop” is all about the contemplative keyboard, of a tranquil place covered with grey skies. And “Portsmouth Stories” arrives a similar place, but it’s bathed in a cold moonlight. “Down” is awash in effects, and somehow draws out a melody from within its cloudy exterior.
Monologue presents a curious beauty and a cryptic personality that is slowly revealed over time, but doesn’t create an obstacle to appreciating the former by making the latter quality inaccessible. For those of you just now becoming acquainted with the music of Wayne Horvitz, it’s a great introduction to both the sound and spirit of this musician, and to those who have been long-time fans, it’s a nice reminder of the compelling nature of his music.
Your album personnel: Wayne Horvitz (piano, keyboard, harmonica, electronics & effects) and Ed Pias (percussion).
Download the free track by using the embedded audio player above or direct from Horvitz’s Bandcamp page.
Released on Cavity Search Records.
Available at: eMusic | Bandcamp | CDBaby | Amazon
Sep 6 2015
Recommended: Lars Jakob Rudjord Ensemble – “Clockwork”
Clockwork, the 2013 release by the Lars Jakob Rudjord Ensemble has been sitting around my listening queue for awhile now. It was one of my eMusic Jazz Picks back when it was released, and noticing that it had been awhile since I last gave it a spin, I’ve recently begun revisiting it. I’m reminded now of why it caught my ear in the first place.
Clockwork begins nicely enough. After a brief opening track (which I’ll address later), the album gets underway with the introspective “Visa från Sandberget,” a song that is heavy from a contemplative demeanor and very generous with the melodic beauty. It possesses a light touch, something of an airy presence, and it has many of the qualities that would get it described as Nordic Jazz. Many of the tracks that follow take on the same pattern. At times, their airy presence borders on insubstantial and a severe lack of engagement. There’s nothing wrong with these tunes. They’re all very pretty. But were they all that comprised this album, it wouldn’t earn a mention.
But then the album begins to unfold in unexpected ways. There’s the crazy volatility of “Bowing,” and how a furious attack on cello is juxtaposed against piano’s more peaceful phrasings. And there’s “Untitled Picture #1” and the way it shrugs the notion of structure from its shoulders. On these songs, cellist Katrine Schiøtt leads the charge, driving the songs ahead. On the other hand, her cello is the undercurrent that lifts up the pointed melodicism of Rudjord’s piano on “Syvert is Lonely,” a song that rings with clarity and shows how Nordic Jazz expressionism can result in sharp imagery, eyes wide open.
The curious “Harpe” is an intriguing mix of Rudjord strumming the piano strings, a high pitched whistle from cello and the sparse but resonant hum of Adrian Fiskum Myhr‘s bass. It’s more sonic vignette than structured composition, but its intriguing personality makes the issue of intent and form a secondary concern.
The album opens with the edgy murmur of “Fremad Marsj” and ends with the serene “Koral 2.” The tonal qualities of each song are effectively flipped from the album half their sound is more associated with. It’s a nifty way to wrap the two faces of this interesting album into a more cohesive bundle, as well as satisfying ways to provide an introduction and a finale.
Your album personnel: Lars Jakob Rudjord (piano), Katrine Schiøtt (cello) and Adrian Fiskum Myhr (double bass).
Listen to additional album tracks on the artist’s Soundcloud page.
Download a free album track at Bandcamp.
Released in 2013 on Fyrlyd Records.
Music from the Farsund, Norway scene.
Available at: eMusic | Amazon
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2013 Releases • 0