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.


  Mars Williams / Vasco Trilla 
  Spiracle
  (Not Two) 


  
   review by Ken Waxman
  2021-05-06
Mars Williams / Vasco Trilla: Spiracle (Not Two)

Intense stripped down improvisations by an American reedist and a Spanish drummer Spiracle's six tracks expand the potentially slender sonic coloration with add-ons from percussion and toy instruments. A first-time meeting for Chicago's Mars William, who leads his own bands and works with many American and European sound innovators and Barcelona's Vasco Trilla, who partners with other saxophonists such as Yedo Gibson, the session begins slowly then builds to a crescendo of multiphonic cries, clanks, screeches and scrapes. The duo's skill in tone modulation means that no matter how many guttural reed slurs or resonating ruffs are reached, the two never lose control of the material or allow it to sink into formless cacophony.

For instance, a track such as "Valve" retains its originality as reed mewling and rim shot resonation give way to what sounds like kalimba tremors and electronic-styled drones. After Williams' saxophone trills ascend to altissimo whistles framed by literal toy squeaks, Trilla's rolling percussion creates enough horizontal patterning to introduce and confirm a melodic continuum. With other prods such as dog-whistle altissimo and pressurized glossolia from the saxophonist or metallic claps and clips and bass drum resonation from the percussionist available, the duo continually creates so many startling and unforeseen textural sequences and deviation that there's almost as much tonal variety as would be created by a larger ensemble

This strategy is confirmed on the concluding "Haemolymph", as Williams' staccato snarls and dyspeptic cries investigate a collection of reed tone extensions at the same time as Trilla's reverberating thumps draw echoes from every part of his percussion arsenal and then some. Still the finale compresses the tune's jagged edges into a regularized drum pulse that cannily connects with the spreading reed narrative. In-the-moment sounds that never spiral out-of-control, Spiracle provides insight into the clairvoyant skills of two well-matched improvisers.







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. (17851)