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.


  Cogburn / Jones / Rainey 
  Arena Ladridos
  (Another Timbre) 


  
   review by Jeph Jerman
  2011-09-10
Cogburn / Jones / Rainey: Arena Ladridos (Another Timbre)

Barking sand indeed.

Two rather longish improvisations by the trio of Chris Cogburn on percussion, Bonnie Jones' electronics and Bhob Rainey on soprano saxophone recorded at two different venues in Austin and Marfa, Texas in 2010. An austere collection of rubbings and thumpings, buzzes, drones and grit, these pieces conjure up natural processes for me, fitting in well with the morning ambience of the house as the wind blows the bamboo and the neighbors porch-bell tolls. The first piece, "Govalle", feels episodic, with rising and falling sound clusters mostly from solo performers with short silences in between. These then slowly begin to overlap, gain weight and a bit more volume, and then subside. On headphones the detail is most interesting, with the room sound a quiet canvas for the crenellated splotches of sound. I can feel that the form here (revealed in the disc's title) is like watching sand tumble down a just-too-steep pile, first one or two grains, then more as the accumulated weight gains impetus. Like the phenomena of "booming (barking?) sand", the odd, little-known occurrence of certain types of sand dunes making sound when shifted by the wind.

"Marfa" feels a bit more weighty at the beginning, although no louder. A low-pitched stumbling. quiet. some metallic clicks. A feedback like tone with a shifting timbre, then dry rasping. Out of the nothing, some unison breathes. As with the first piece the sounds do gain momentum, each grain bouncing off others and pulling them along to touch others. Until the wind secedes. It's all quite beautiful.

Interestingly, at about the time I received this disc for review, I also happened upon a photograph of one of their concerts in a music magazine, which gave me a clear mental picture of the players. My usual habit of imagining what the performance might look like was enhanced and perhaps even colored by this bit of serendipity, and I pondered for awhile the meeting of sound and picture that occurs with music presented on records and CDs. The actual cover graphic of "Arena Ladridos" gives no indication at all of the music found within. Could it be just nice, slightly quirky drawings to catch the eye? Just one of the odd avenues my mind travels when I forget to listen.







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. (11687)