The Squid's Ear Magazine


Cunningham, Alex / Eli Wallace : The Terrible Habit Of Theatre [VINYL] (Storm Cellar / Personal Archives )

St. Louis violinist Alex Cunningham and Brooklyn pianist Eli Wallace debut as a duo with five extended improvisations, engaging in dynamic conversations that explore rapid melodic passages, complemented by textural piano preparations, creating diverse soundscapes ranging from intense energy to moments of thoughtful, unhurried interaction.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Alex Cunningham-violin, objects

Eli Wallace-piano, objects


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Label: Storm Cellar / Personal Archives
Catalog ID: SC007 / PA//225
Squidco Product Code: 35351

Format: LP
Condition: New
Released: 2024
Country: USA
Packaging: LP
Recorded at Bird Cloud Recording Studio, in Edwardsville, Illinois, by Ryan Wasoba.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"On their debut duo recording, The Terrible Habit of Theatre, Alex Cunningham and Eli Wallace display the kind of sympathetic telepathy typically demonstrated by long-established units. Showcasing their interconnectivity and patient communication, the album takes the shape of an engaging conversation, wherein listening supersedes speaking.

Though occasionally dense and frenetic in their exchanges, as evidenced at the top of album opener 'Fog Line,' Cunningham and Wallace frequently opt for more languid, exploratory passages, exploring the potential of their instruments through extended technique.

Violinist Cunningham exploits the inherent acoustic qualities of his instrument, the wood and strings themselves integral components of his expression. Wallace, through his prepared piano, creates a diverse tapestry of sounds both percussive and canorous. On 'I-94,' Wallace suggests the sonance of Gamelan, the duo building confidently in rhythmic intensity, receding only slightly before bursting.

Texture is paramount in these improvisations, with the artists eschewing traditional timbres and tones, creating an expansive new vocabulary that is synesthesiac in its sensory scope. Exhibiting bold internal logic, 'The Terrible Habit of Theatre' represents a stunning achievement by two of the most exciting voices in contemporary free improvisation."-Bob Bucko Jr, liner notes



Alex Cunningham is a violinist, improviser, and visual artist based in St. Louis, MO. His recorded output spans free improvisation, drone, noise, and minimalist composition. Cunningham has recorded with Lisa Cameron, Damon Smith, claire rousay, Chris Trull (under the Apathist! moniker), Mark Shippy, Thom Nguyen, Patrick Shiroishi, Jessica Ackerley, Seth Andrew Davis, Sandy Ewen, Eli Wallace, and Weasel Walter. Cunningham has released music on Close/Far Recordings, Personal Archives, Already Dead Tapes and Records, Fort Evil Fruit, Working Man Lay Down, Orb Tapes, Astral Editions, Infrequent Seams, Industrial Coast, Flat Plastic Home Media, Profane Illuminations, Waveform Alphabet, and Astral Spirits.

Eli Wallace, pianist/improviser/composer, resides in Brooklyn, NY envisioning his own projects, and collaborating with other like-minded artists. His work as a pianist displays a proclivity to free improvisation, incorporating elaborate piano preparations that John Lewis (The Guardian) says is "...pushing the boundaries of the prepared piano." His compositions employ notational strategies to broaden how musicians produce sound and the ways in which they interact. Over the past decade, he appeared on dozens of albums and performed at venues such as Roulette, Brooklyn, NY, Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago, IL, Bemis Center, Omaha, NE, and Cave 12, Geneva, Switzerland.


Artist Biographies

"Alex Cunningham is a violinist, improviser, and visual artist based in St. Louis, MO. His work explores free improvisation, drone, noise, and minimalist composition. Cunningham has recently performed with Mark Shippy, Sandy Ewen, Damon Smith, Stefan Gonzalez, and Lisa Cameron and has ongoing collaborations with Chris Trull (under the Apathist! moniker), Kevin Harris, and Claire Rousay. Past collaborations include the groups Vernacular String Trio, Hess/Cunningham Duo, and Hardbody. Cunningham has released music on Close/Far Recordings, Personal Archives, Already Dead Tapes and Records, Fort Evil Fruit, and Astral Spirits.

Cunningham's collage work has appeared on various album covers and concert posters. He was named St. Louis' "Best Concert Poster Designer" by the Riverfront Times in 2015. His visual work has shown at Hoffman LaChance Contemporary, Resident Arts, Blank Space, and the Thomas Dunn Learning Center and has been featured on bus stops in St. Louis as part of St. Louis Metro's "Arts in Transit" initiative. "

-Alex Cunningham Website (https://www.alexcunninghamviolin.com/about)
11/29/2024

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

"Eli Wallace is a pianist, improviser, and composer who resides in Brooklyn, NY, leading his own projects, collaborating with other like-minded artists, and co-curating the interdisciplinary performance series Invocation with Drew Wesely. His work as a pianist displays his vast milieu of experiences from classical, jazz, free improvisation studies, and extensive piano preparation, while his compositions employ notational strategies to broaden the manner in which sounds are created and the ways in which musicians interact. Over the past decade he has appeared on dozens of albums and has performed at such esteemed venues as The Stone, New York, NY, Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago, IL, and the Outsound New Music Summit, San Francisco, CA."

-Eli Wallace Website (https://eliwallacemusic.com/)
11/29/2024

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


Track Listing:



SIDE A



1. Fog Line 6:17

2. Broken Fall (Geometric) 10:20

3. I-94 6:08

SIDE B



1. Beathdeath 4:48

2. The Terrible Habit Of Theatre 16:51

Related Categories of Interest:


Vinyl Recordings
Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Chicago Jazz & Improvisation
Stringed Instruments
Piano & Keyboards
Instruments with Preparations
New in Improvised Music
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