Kihnoua

The Sybil's Whisper

Label: Metalanguage Country: USA

"Kihnoua is a term borrowed from ancient Greek that might have meant "the difference;" or for us now: "the unity of opposites." Namely: on the one hand you can sense oral traditions; on the other hand you hear 'new-jazz' spontaneity. This is a San Francisco based ensemble formed by Larry Ochs in 2007 to play some new changes. A long-time fan of traditional Korean p'ansori folk-singing and of Korean sinawi improvisation, the band's music intermingles the very new thoughts, sounds and structures of jazz (or perhaps better said as "Western improvised music") with influences from very ancient sounds of Korea and other folk-music/ blues influences of Asia, Africa and the USA. The band's core is Scott Amendola on drums and electronics, Dohee Lee on vocals, with Ochs writing the compositions and playing saxophones. Guest musicians added to the band for performances and recording have included Zeena Parkins, Carla Kihlstedt, Joan Jeanrenaud, Fred Frith, William Winant, Devin Hoff, and Trevor Dunn. A first trip to Europe (to two festivals in Zagreb and Gradisca d'Isonzo, Italy) took place in November 2008 with Okkyung Lee joining Kihnoua on cello. A second European tour took place April 25 to May 5, 2010 with special guest Wilbert DeJoode on bass (including concerts in Padova, Ljubljana, Moscow, Prague, Berlin, & Ulrichsberg Kaleidophon Festival)."-Metalanguage

"The quartet Kihnoua is a loose and surprising affair. Open and airy (it seems there's rarely a moment when all four are playing), the group is marked by Dohee Lee's soprano vocalese and the electronic effects that supplement Scott Amendola's percussion. Lee has a strong range both in pitch and emotive force and Ochs often seems to be sharing her space, supplementing the wails and interjections. Amendola is fantastically all over the place and bassist Wilbert de Joode is ever deep and solid. The Sybil's Whisper is fairly mad with no shortage of excitement, free-for-all and shared discovery. Maybe that's the release Ochs needs to keep his ROVA focus so tight. Or maybe it's just we listeners who need the release."-New York Jazz Record