The Squid's Ear Magazine


Drake, Hamid / Sylvain Kassap: Heads Or Tails [2 CDs] (RogueArt)

A masterful fountain of melodic ideas, intriguing rhythms, and exceptional technical skill from the duo of Hamid Drake on drums and frame drum, and Sylvain Kassap on clarinets and chalumeau, recording live at the France Musique at Studio Theatre dÕAlfortville and in the studio.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Hamid Drake-drums, frame drum

Sylvain Kassap-clarinets, chalumeau


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UPC: 3760131270723

Label: RogueArt
Catalog ID: Rog-0072
Squidco Product Code: 23037

Format: 2 CDs
Condition: New
Released: 2016
Country: France
Packaging: Digipack - 4 panel
CD 1 recorded live at the France Musique at Studio Theatre dÕAlfortville, France, for Radio France on February 5th, 2007, by Bernard Legac and Yann Fressy.

CD-2 recorded at Studio de la Beaune, in Montreuil, France, on February 22nd and 23rd, 2013, by Jean-Marc Bouchez/

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"When I put these CDs on I knew immediately that from the first time I had heard them together until the time of these recordings their art, their voices, their intense empathy/telepathy for one another had grown to a n almost unparalleled level: two instruments in complete harmony and synchronicity."-Steve Dalachinsky, excerpt of the liner notes



"The chalumeau is a single-reed woodwind instrument of the late baroque and early classical eras. The chalumeau is a folk instrument that is the predecessor to the modern-day clarinet. It has a cylindrical bore with eight tone holes (seven in front and one in back for the thumb) and a broad mouthpiece with a single heteroglot reed (i.e. not a continuous part of the instrument's body) made of cane. Similar to the clarinet, the chalumeau overblows a twelfth."-Wikipedia



This album has been reviewed on our magazine:

The Squid
The Squid's Ear!

Artist Biographies

"Hamid Drake (born August 3, 1955) is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends a great deal of time touring worldwide. By the close of the 1990s, Hamid Drake was widely regarded as one of the best percussionists in jazz and avant improvised music. Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian, and African percussion instruments and influence, in addition to using the standard trap set, Drake has collaborated extensively with top free-jazz improvisers. Drake also has performed world music; by the late 70s, he was a member of Foday Musa Suso's Mandingo Griot Society and has played reggae throughout his career.

Drake has worked with trumpeter Don Cherry, pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonists Pharoah Sanders, Fred Anderson, Archie Shepp and David Murray and bassists Reggie Workman and William Parker (in a large number of lineups)

He studied drums extensively, including eastern and Caribbean styles. He frequently plays without sticks; using his hands to develop subtle commanding undertones. His tabla playing is notable for his subtlety and flair. Drake's questing nature and his interest in Caribbean percussion led to a deep involvement with reggae."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Drake)
3/13/2024

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

"Born in 1956, French Clarinettist Sylvain Kassap has been one of the greatest improv jazz musicians since the late 70s. A major player on the avant-garde scene, Kassap has performed with Louis Sclavis, Michel Portal, Henri Texier, Bernard Lubat, François Tusques, and many other cutting-edge French musicians. He has also played along side a large number of innovative international musicians such as Evan Parker, John Surman, Barre Philips, Sam Rivers, Hamid Drake, Han Bennink.

Kassap uses his clarinets in ways that go well beyond conventional melodic and harmonic expectations. With percussive bursts and textural sounds, Kassap expands the range and vocabulary of the instrument. He has also been a pioneer in fusing the arts, collaborating with actors, dancers and writers. And, he has made occasional forays into contemporary classical music, performing works by John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen and other experimental composers. From free improvisation to contemporary and ethnic music, leading French clarinetist Sylvain Kassap explores a world that is rich in colour and finesse, animated by an unquenchable spirit of freedom."

-France in Canada (http://www.ambafrance-ca.org/The-Sylvain-Kassap-quartet-in)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



CD1



1. Mutual Respect 24:40

2. Black Walnuts 8:11

3. Wood Splinters 7:49

4. Refreshing Storm 4:48

CD2



1. Heads Or Tails 4:35

2. Everyone Holds Its Breath 4:15

3. Downtown Riots 4:30

4. Sharp Light 3:40

5. Stubborn Old Folks 6:10

6. Sharp Bend 3:18

7. Stone's Sparks 4:04

8. Blasting Heat 6:33

9. Two Sides Of The Same Coin 4:59

10. Deeply Affected 3:46

11. Embroidered Silk Scarves 5:36

12. Heavy Traffic 6:39

13. Of Course! 2:27

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
European Improvisation and Experimental Forms
Duo Recordings
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RogueArt.


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