The Squid's Ear
Writing about improvised, contemporary, experimental and unusual music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!

The Squid's Ear
Facebook: Squidco Sales



Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Kimmig-Studer-Zimmerlin/George Lewis 
  s/t
  (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd) 


  
   review by Brian Olewnick
  2020-09-10
Kimmig-Studer-Zimmerlin/George Lewis: s/t (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Kimmig-Studer-Zimmerlin is an improvising string trio (Kimmig, violin; Studer, double bass; Zimmerlin, cello) whose language flows out of the Western classical tradition and, to the extent one can judge from what's heard here, what one might call the post-serialist segment of that tradition rather than, say, the post-Cageian one, which is to imply a certain amount of hyperactivity and thorniness as opposed to concerns for space and silence. This kind of horror vacui stance has its fans and detractors and as, in general, one of the latter, I was intrigued to hear how/if the integration of George Lewis (trombone, live electronics) would ameliorate the situation. Lewis himself, like AACM veterans from Muhal Richard Abrams to Roscoe Mitchell and others when broaching that hazy jazz/Western classical divide, often takes a quasi-similar route, at least in recent years (his early involvement with musicians around the New York Kitchen nexus often seemed to lead to other concerns). Still, one could hope.

From this listener's perspective, the results are mixed. The first of five tracks, 'Very Nice', launches directly into the kind of robust, skittering and jam-packed improvisation that has clear links to the European improv tradition of the past 55 or so years. Unlike, say, AMM re: jazz tropes, the musicians in the trio don't attempt to discard the basic language they've learned (that of modern "classical" music), instead choosing to adapt it to the present situation. The sonic gestures are recognizable, the crests and valleys as well. Lewis sometimes joins the fray, sometimes seeks to undergird it with subtle, more riparian tones (both on horn and via electronics) making for a mix that often works quite well, especially in the softer portions, but at other times feels uncertain. 'Seven Colors and Number Ten' is much more generally successful, Lewis' thin electronics, including some samples of what sounds like conversation, setting the stage for delicate and sensitive work from the trio, arco, pizzicato and making small sounds on the instrument bodies. It gradually achieves greater density and activity but sounds natural, not forced, on its way to that state. 'Night Walk' is thick, claustrophobic and assaultive, quite intense and effective as far as it goes, though one has little sense of the musicians listening to each other on more than a superficial level, no particularly incisive commentary or offering of counter-strategies. Even so, the concluding several minutes migrate to a much more thoughtful terrain. A similar arc occurs in the closing track, 'Tactus and Tatum'.

Overall, hit and miss depending on the direction from which you're approaching. Expertly played all around and Lewis, as ever, is a pleasure to hear in and of himself. Just more for the rough and tumble, busy as a bee listener than the more contemplative one.







Comments and Feedback:



The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Kim Jae Jung:
Shamanism
(Relative Pitch)



Joe McPhee/
Susanna Gartmayer/
John Edwards/
Maria Portugal:
Monster
(Klanggalerie)



Signe Emmeluth/
Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten/
Axel Filip:
Hyperboreal Trio
(Relative Pitch)



John Butcher/
John Edwards:
This Is
Not Speculation
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Izumi Kimura/
Lina Andonovska/
Dominique Pifarely:
Seven Dreams
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Jerome Deupree/
Sylvie Courvoisier/
Lester St. Louis/
Joe Morris:
Canyon
[2 CDs]
(Listen! Foundation (
Fundacja Sluchaj!))



Marc Baron/
Eric La Casa:
Contrefacons
(Swarming)



Francisco Lopez:
Untitled (
2021-2022)
[2 CDs]
(Bu Lang Tribute Cake)



Eventless Plot |
Haarvol:
The Subliminal Paths
[CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD]
(Innovo Editions)



Akmee:
Sacrum Profanum
(Nakama Records)



Karl Evangelista Quintet
feat. Bobby Bradford and
William Roper:
Solace Angles
(Asian Improv)



Sveio:
Latent Imprints
(577 Records)



The Sleep Of Reason
Produces Monsters (
Rasmussen/
Mitelli/
Rezaei/
Koenig):
The Sleep Of Reason
Produces Monsters
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)



Dan Brown/
Dan Reynolds:
Live At
The Grange Hall
[unauthorized][CASSETTE]
(Sacred Realism)



Matt Mitchell:
Sacrosanctity
(Obliquity)



Das B (
Mazen Kerbaj/
Mike Majkowski/
Magda Mayas/
Tony Buck):
Love
(thanatosis produktion/
Corbett Vs Dempsey)



Das B (
Mazen Kerbaj/
Mike Majkowski/
Magda Mayas/
Tony Buck):
Love
[VINYL]
(thanatosis produktion/
Corbett Vs Dempsey)



Mary Halvorson Septet:
Illusionary Sea
[2 LPS]
(Firehouse 12 Records)



Darius Jones:
Legend of e'Boi (
The Hypervigilant Eye)
[VINYL + DOWNLOAD]
(Aum Fidelity)



Irene Schweizer/
Rudiger Carl/
Johnny Dyani/
Han Bennink:
Irenes Hot Four
(Intakt)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (16395)