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  Rodrigues / Malfatti / Guerreiro 
  Late Summer
  (Creative Sources) 


  
   review by Jeph Jerman
  2014-05-02
Rodrigues / Malfatti / Guerreiro: Late Summer (Creative Sources)

Two discs worth of ultra quiet minimalist music from this trio of viola, trombone and computer. Anyone familiar with Malfatti's work or the Wandelweiser aesthetic will know, at least partly, what to expect: extremely quiet improvisations that could be described as exercises in playing along with a room. There's a lot of sound coming from everywhere except the players: traffic and work sounds from outside, chair squeaks and building groans, bits of almost within ear-shot conversations, and at least one rather loud plane. Within this rich field of quotidian sound, the trio patiently deploys their arsenal of calm. The seemingly random string pluck or bump, trombone pop and held tone, and hum buzz or crackle from the computer seem to fit in and often interact with the room and outdoor sonics, sometimes to (I'm sure unintended) comic effect. The computer sounds are often hard to differentiate from what could also be a passing bus or idling truck. I find this a perfect example of John Cage's notion of music that wouldn't be interrupted by the sounds from its surroundings. The players and the place meld together as one sonic event.

Both discs contain one long improvisation each, with a date for a title. The second disc has much less outside "noise", perhaps recorded in a quieter public place or a studio (there is only minimal information on the sleeve). This recording allows for closer inspection of the player's sounds alone, barring, of course, whatever sound is happening in one's playback space. On headphones it's a long stretch of quiet interaction and soft surprise. Clicks, pops, hisses, scrapes and hums are tossed over a plain field, where they stick out despite their minimal volume.







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