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




Heard In

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


  Mats Gustafsson / Otomo Yoshihide 
  Timing
  (Doubt Music) 


  
   review by Paul Serralheiro
  2022-02-24
Mats Gustafsson / Otomo Yoshihide: Timing (Doubt Music)

In the liner notes that accompany this CD, saxophonist Gustafsson (and for this outing, electronics manipulator) makes an extended point about timing and attitude, but the most forceful impression I got while listening to his duo outing with plectrist and turntable artist Otomo Yoshihide is one of masses of sound architecture. The CD's eight untitled tracks (only times are given) unfold in sheets and blocks, threads and filaments, splashes and drips, curves and corners and straight lines, the whole thing amounting to a multi-dimensional synesthetic experience. The timbres and textural elements of the music are part of a sensory mobile of sorts, shaping and reshaping itself through time. So timing is the thing that brings the music into being, but the material that results from the musicians' creative real-time interactions are much more than about timing alone and consequently much more complex.

In more simple and practical terms, one should point out that the textures of electronic sound and acoustic sound, fundamentals of contemporary music, are here balanced in an organic and aesthetically stimulating manner. The first three tracks have a strong electro-acoustic balance but the electronics get full throttled release in tracks 4 and 5, with bleats and blatts and twists and turns for the ear galore. But there is a contrasting return to full acoustic sound exploration, Yoshihide on banjo and voice and Gustafsson exploring extended possibilities of the baritone saxophone, pads and holes and reed infections, as well as some intriguing "flutephone" cooings and airy spurts.

A highlight for this listener comes when Yoshihide unleashes his Gibson ES 135 in the last two tracks, getting a marvelous analog hum while bell chimes electronically processed punctuate the sonic mass for a nice textural compositional effect. Gustafsson brings in some nice ducky sounds and balloon squeals from the baritone while Yoshihide does his 21st century shredding that magnetically draws the saxophonist into the vortex of inventive articulation that all meshes together in ecstatic abandon of a high order.







Comments and Feedback:



More Recent Reviews, Articles, and Interviews @ The Squid's Ear...


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

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Eliane Radigue:
Asymptote Versatile (
1963-64)
(Amgen Records)



Ivo Perelman/
Nate Wooley:
Polarity 4
(Burning Ambulance Music)



Joe McPhee:
Defiant Jazz:
a Joe McPhee Taster
[VINYL]
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)



Armaroli/
Piccolo/
Sharp:
Imaginary Songbook
[2 CDs]
(Dodicilune)



Eva Novoa Trio (
w/ Daniel Carter/
Francisco Mela):
The Freedom Suite,
Vol. 2
(577 Records)



Eva Novoa Trio (
w/ Carter/
Mela):
The Freedom Suite,
Vol. 2
[VINYL]
(577 Records)



Fieldwork (
Iyer/
Lehman/
Sorey):
Thereupon
(Pi Recordings)



Fieldwork (
Iyer/
Lehman/
Sorey):
Thereupon
[VINYL]
(Pi Recordings)



Dan Weiss (
w/ Evans/
Okazaki/
Brennan):
Unclassified Affections
(Pi Recordings)



Dan Weiss (
w/ Evans/
Okazaki/
Brennan):
Unclassified Affections
[VINYL 2 LPs]
(Pi Recordings)



Fujii/
Tamura/
Yoshida/
Takeharu:
Burning Wick
(Libra)



Ken Vandermark:
October Flowers for Joe McPhee
(Corbett vs. Dempsey)



Pat Thomas:
Hikmah
(Tao Forms)



Pat Thomas:
Hikmah
[VINYL w/ DOWNLOAD]
(Tao Forms)



Russ Lossing:
Proximity Alert
(Blaser Music)



Natural Information Society (
Abrams/
Alvarado/
Avery/
Stein):
Perseverance Flow
(AGUIRRE RECORDS)



Ohad Talmor w/Chris Tordini/
Eric Mcpherson + Guests:
Back To The Land
[2 CDs]
(Intakt)



Nathan Clevenger Group:
Astrolabe
(Queen Bee Records)



Donny McCaslin:
Lullaby For
The Lost
[VINYL]
(Editions)



Don Cherry/
Krzysztof Penderecki:
Actions
[VINYL 180g]
(Intuition)







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. (27258)