The Squid's Ear Magazine


Dijkstra, Jorrit: Never Odd Or Even (Driff Records)

15 wonderfully creative works from Boston-area saxophonist Jorrit Dijkstra, also on lyricon, analog synth and effects pedals, creating a one-man-band of unconventional sonic textures layered live, over which he improvises in fun and profound ways.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Jorrit Dijkstra-alto saxophone, lyricon, analog synthesizer, effect pedals


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UPC: 616892348849

Label: Driff Records
Catalog ID: 1503
Squidco Product Code: 21420

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2015
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at STEIM, in Amsterdam, Holland March 17th-22nd and November 11th-15th, 2014 and at Primatones Studio, Quincy, Massachusetts, January 2015.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Since the late 1990s, I have been searching for ways to extend my saxophone sound using an array of effect pedals and the Lyricon, a 70s-era wind synthesizer. I found that embracing the somewhat uncontrollable element of analog electronics provides me an aleatoric framework for improvising. I always use the effects live so the electronics behave like quirky shadows with their own personalities.

This is my second album of solo work. Many of these tracks were overdubbed, taking inspiration from Julius Hemphill's seminal album Blue Boyé. I improvised the first layer and, without listening back, immediately improvised second and sometimes third layers on top - giving the impression that multiple musicians with 100% compatible improvisational minds are interacting. Other tracks I recorded in one take, using a loop machine or delay patch in my modular synthesizer as a form of live overdubbing. I have tried to form textural connections between the electronics and the acoustic sounds: can I make the synth sound acoustic and the saxophone sound electronic? By pushing my saxophone sound into extremes with the electronic processors, exploiting the Lyricon's extraordinary possibilities of control, and using very direct recording and mixing techniques, I have tried to create an intimate sonic experience where every detail holds meaning.

"Ear Piercing" is a reflection on the discovery of my tinnitus. "Talking Pads" and "Spit Pads," both recorded with a microphone inside the saxophone bell, are inspired by the raw, amplified kalimbas of Congotronics. "Pong" is an improvisation over a recording of a beginner ping pong game with my daughter and "The Gaps" is an improvisation with the microtones in between the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale. The title track "Never Odd Or Even" is a selection from a 10-minute recording of a Eurorack synth patch that generates random signals. "Tickly" and "More Tickly" are experiments in intensely capturing the threshold between wind noise and pitch on the saxophone."-Jorrit Dijkstra, June 2015


Artist Biographies

"The music of saxophonist and composer Jorrit Dijkstra (Eindhoven, Netherlands, 1966) draws from the jazz tradition in spirit and sound, but has crossed stylistic and cultural borders in order to express a strong, evolving personal vision. He spent his formative years in Amsterdam's vibrant improvisation community playing jazz, free improvisation, and world music. Since moving to the United States in 2002, Dijkstra has deepened his affinity with the experimental forces of American music, while staying in touch with his Dutch musical roots. Jorrit works as a composer and is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and a faculty member of the New England Conservatory in Boston.

Dijkstra's recent projects include The Whammies play the Music of Steve Lacy, with leading Chicago, Boston, and Amsterdam improvisers, and duos with drummer/composer John Hollenbeck and trombonist Jeb Bishop. In Boston he leads the free improvisation quartet BOLT. In his solo project, he incorporates an array of electronic effect devices to process his saxophone improvisations live on stage. Dijkstra's use of analog electronics - including the Lyricon, a vintage electronic wind instrument from the seventies - extends his already flexible saxophone style into an idiosyncratic mix of cool jazz, free improvisation, and electronic minimalism.

Jorrit's work as a composer balances between similar stylistic boundaries. Commissioned by the North Sea Jazz Festival 2009, Pillow Circles brings together eight top improvisers in a mesmerizing sound world filled with indie guitar-rock and free jazz influences. His ongoing project Music for Reeds and Electronics explores the sonic possibilities of reed and electronics players in different improvisation communities in North America and Europe. Dijkstra has received other commissions from the David Kweksilber Big Band, Tetzepi Big Band, Amstel Saxophone Quartet, Kaida Duo, Duo X, The Harvard Jazz Band, electric guitarist Wiek Hijmans, saxophonist Ties Mellema, and bass clarinetist Fie Schouten. His commissioned works often incorporate electronic soundtracks and various forms of improvisation. Dijkstra's work has won him a Fulbright grant and the prestigious Podium Prize for jazz musicians in the Netherlands.

Jorrit has released eighteen CDs as a leader, and has participated in projects ranging from Anthony Braxton's Ghost Trance and Guus Janssen's opera Noach to a rare live performance of Texas outsider musician Jandek. He studied improvisation and composition with Misha Mengelberg, Steve Coleman, Steve Lacy, Bob Brookmeyer and Lee Hyla. He is co-founder of the artist-run label Driff Records. Jorrit is an Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music and a faculty member of the New England Conservatory in Boston."

-Jorrit Dykstra Website (http://www.jorritdijkstra.com/)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Ear Piercing 4:00

2. Toodeledoo 2:45

3. Talking Pads 3:54

4. Rubber Ballad 2:00

5. Tickly 3:16

6. Groove Segment 1:22

7. Forth And Back 3:34

8. Ooze 9:15

9. Pong 2:56

10. The Gaps 2:19

11. Never Odd Or Even 3:26

12. Spit Pads 1:19

13. Wobbly Drone Fly 3:28

14. Troubadour 5:41

15. More Tickly 1:34

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
Piano & Keyboards
Solo Artist Recordings
Boston Area Improvisers

Search for other titles on the label:
Driff Records.


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The Squid's Ear Magazine

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