Atzi Muramatsu (cello), George Burt (guitar), Maggie Nicols (vocals), Ann Pearce (voice, electronics); 2. Mike Parr-Burman (guitar), Raymond MacDonald (saxophones), Aviva Endean (clarinet), Corey Mwamba (vibes), Allan Wylie (trumpet), Helen Svoboda (bass); 3. Rick Bamford (drums, percussion), Gerry Rossi (piano), Maggie Nicols, Ceylan Hay (voice, violin), Yasuko Kaneko (trombone); 4. David Robertson (percussion), Robert Henderson (trumpet), Una MacGlone (double bass), Armin Sturm (bass); 5. Jim Whyte, Tom Butler (synthesiser), Jessica Argo (theremin, cello), Cliona Cassidy (voice), Sia X-Ray (vocals, electronics); 6. Peter Nicholson (cello), Gerry Rossi; 7. Peter Nicholson, Maggie Nicols, Maria Sappho (piano), Daniel Wilfred (voice, clapping sticks), Corey Mwamba, Ken Slaven (strings); 8. Corey Mwamba, Daniel Wilfred, Ken Slaven, David Wilfred (digeridoo); 9. Raymond MacDonald, Una MacGlone, Rick Bamford; 10. Maggie Nicols, George Burt, Faradena Afifi (saxophones, strings); 11. Jim Whyte, Armin Sturm, Guro Gravem Johansen (vocals), Allan Wylie; 12. David Robertson, Mike Parr-Burman, Sia X-Ray, David Wilfred, Yasuko Kaneko, Daniel Wilfred; 13. Maria Sappho, Raymond MacDonald, David Wilfred, Maggie Nicols, Ann Pearce, Jessica Argo, Tom Butler, Faradena Afifi; 14. Atzi Muramatsu, Rick Bamford; 15. Ceylan Hay, Ken Slaven; 16. Rick Bamford, Maggie Nicols, Maria Sappho, Robert Henderson, Ceylan Hay, Una MacGlone; 17. David Robertson, Rick Bamford, Ceylan Hay, Robert Henderson, Armin Sturm, Una MacGlone; 18. Allan Wylie, Ken Slaven, Ceylan Hay, Helen Svoboda; 19. Corey Mwamba, Robert Henderson, Armin Sturm, Daniel Wilfred; 20. David Wilfred, Ken Slaven, Maggie Nicols.
It’s been a difficult job
involving much digging to (ultimately and relatively successfully) ascribe
specific instruments to the various members of the GIO, but, what the heck,
maybe they see that as a convention that can be flouted in the same way that
the music they play pushes out at the edges of jazz. (The programme for the
event, GIOfest XV when this album was recorded is available HERE
for anyone who wants to do some more digging.)
Internet archaeology
aside the music itself is a collection of 20 small group improvisations of
between 30 seconds and 7minutes 20 duration recorded by members of the
Orchestra plus invited guests from around the world, some of whom attended
online, all to celebrate the Orchestra’s 20th birthday. (The 19 piece contains a nod towards Happy
Birthday in between the arguing, moaning, popping voices in recognition of
the occasion.)
Much of it is intense and
contemplative with little of the competitive aggression that seems to feature
in a lot of improvised music. Delicacy and fragility are more the terms that
come often to mind, reflected in the sleevenotes’ poem that include the lines….
‘Listening LISTENING LISTENING
Connecting TRUSTING’
…that
are more of a ‘try that on for size, how does it feel’ than a ‘follow that… if
you dare’ which makes for a more human level of music that extolls cooperation
and intimacy over confrontation, though there are pieces such as the symphonic,
cinematic 12 which are much bolder
and overwhelming.
There are moments of conflict such as the fractious and tumultuous second piece with a few isolated notes catapulted from the melee but even that is not loud; 8, however, is a positively elephantine clash. There are moments of flow such as Henderson’s trumpet playing in 4 and the voices, at times, sweep between each other and above the fractured music beneath them, often bring you back from the outer reaches, (Nichols’ vocal on 1 is warm, glowing and welcoming).. As you may expect, there are a lot of abstract sounds and noises, some more animal than human (the cello on 6 being a case in point, but the strings do bark on other tracks) and, of course, the space between the sounds is as important as the sounds.
Daniel and David Wilfred bring their first nation Australian themes, unmistakeably on 7 with the pulsing didgeridoo providing a foundation for stabbing piano which rises to a peak and then fades away whilst various percussive instruments rattle and clang challengingly; interestingly, Nichols later channels some of those sounds on 10.
11 is probably the peak of the performances with a driving rhythm and wailing voices above rolling percussion all growing louder and larger. I could imagine that being sampled and later turning up as part of something very different and I wondered if the metal bashing on 13 was a folk memory of riveters in the Glasgow shipyards of previous times.
Not everybody’s cup of tea, but it would be a dull world without music like this in it. It’s not as ferocious as a lot of free jazz but it still offers few ways into its mysteries for the average listener. I’ve listened to it a few times and found different strengths to it each time and I have given 11 a couple of spins on its own at high volume.
The album is available through THIS PAGE on Bandcamp as a ďigital àlbum or CD. Dave Sayer
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