The Squid's Ear Magazine


Cundy, Chris: Mountains (Aural Terrains)

Bass clarinetist Chris Cundy, uses the studio as a performance tool for accompaniment along with pre-recorded tapes, as he contrasts two different composers--Cornelius Cardew & Ton de Leeuw and their compositions titled "Mountains", alongside a Cardew graphic score piece, and 2 work for 5 bass clarinets, from Thanos Chrysakis and John Cage, the latter from his Numbers series.
 

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Chris Cundy-bass clarinet, tape preparations, accompaniments


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Label: Aural Terrains
Catalog ID: TRRN1444
Squidco Product Code: 29898

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2020
Country: UK / EU
Packaging: Jewel Case
Recorded at Red Carpet Studio, and the University of Gloucestshire, England, in 2018 and 2019.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"This release offers a set of rare modern classical works for bass clarinet alongside a stand alone contemporary piece by Greek composer Thanos Chrysakis. Mountains is a title shared by two compositions from 1977 by Cornelius Cardew and Ton de Leeuw and both are presented here alongside each other for the first time. In addition, it contains Solo With Accompaniment, an earlier work by Cardew that uses indeterminate performance strategies, as well as John Cage's late work Five. Belonging to the large collection of Number Pieces all written during the final decade of the composer's life."-Aural Terrains

About the Artist:

Playing bass clarinet and rarified woodwind instruments Chris Cundy is a composer and performer with a practice rooted in experimental and improvised settings. His work also crosses over into popular music and he has worked with a variety of songwriters and groups including Timber Timbre, Cold Specks (aka Ladan Hussein), Thor & Friends, Baby Dee & Little Annie, and Guillemots.

Growing up in the Medway towns Chris became friends with artist and punk musician Billy Childish who introduced him to the exploits of homemade music-making at an early age. This led to a lasting DIY attitude and by the time he was 12 Chris had already started out as a street performer and busker. After hearing Eric Dolphy's music he took up the bass clarinet. He remains self-taught.

Also a visual artist, Chris studied painting at Cheltenham where he discovered a synergy between drawing practices and improvised music. This led to self-developed playing techniques using multi-phonics, circular breathing, exploring micro tonality and generally speaking a more tactile approach to the instrument. Chris also performs contemporary classical music and has premiered works by Greek composer Thanos Chrysakis. He performs as a soloist and as a member of The Set Ensemble.

He is also involved with theatre music, and recently contributed to an original soundtrack for Florian Zeller's stage play The Mother starring Gina McKee. Chris has performed at Shakespeare's Globe and toured with circus companies NoFit State, and Imagineer.

One off sessions have seen Chris performing alongside Moby, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Lol Coxhill, Vieux Farka Touré, Fatoumata Diawara, Alexander Hawkins, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Lisa Hannigan.

He has released three solo albums, Gustav Lost in 2016 (FMR Records), The Disruptive Forest in 2017 (Confront), and the mini-album Crude Attempt in 2020 (Pressing Records). A further album of acoustic bass clarinet compositions is expected in 2021 titled Of All The Common Flowers.



This album has been reviewed on our magazine:

The Squid
The Squid's Ear!

Artist Biographies

"Playing bass clarinet, various saxophones, and other unusual woodwind instruments Chris splits his time between the UK where he lives and Canada. He has toured internationally with Cold Specks, Timber Timbre, Guillemots, and Fyfe Dangerfield and regularly accompanies songwriters such as Little Annie, Baby Dee, Devon Sproule, and Edd Donovan. His practice extends from popular music to theatre, experimental and improvised performances and he has appeared on over sixty commercial recordings. Recently Chris has started to release a series of albums under his own name.

Chris grew up in Medway, Kent and was drawn into the local music scene at a young age where he become friends with Billy Childish - artist, musician, and founder of Hangman Records & Books. During visits to Childish's kitchen Chris was exposed to the exploits of homemade music-making. This formative period instilled a DIY approach and by the time Chris was 14 he had already started out as a street busker. After hearing the Eric Dolphy Memorial Album he took up bass clarinet. He is self-taught.

He went on to study painting at Cheltenham art college. During this period he began to establish experimental projects including Grace & Delete - a duo with fellow painter and electronics musician James Dunn. He also started to explore self-developed playing techniques such as multi-phonics, circular breathing, micro tonality and generally speaking a more tactile approach to the instrument. This led him to working with composers including Thanos Chrysakis, and Pete M Wyer. At Cheltenham he also met songwriter Fyfe Dangerfield who he has continued to collaborate with on a number of occasions since - most notoriously as an additional saxophonist for the Mercury Prize nominated indie-pop group Guillemots.

Other projects include several albums with electronica group Longstone and performing music for Nofit State Circus. One off sessions have seen Chris performing with Moby, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Vieux Farka Touré, Fatoumata Diawara, Alexander Hawkins, and Lisa Hannigan. He has also written theatre music and recently worked with composer Jon Nicholls on an original soundtrack for Florian Zellar's The Mother starring Gina McKee."

-Chris Cundy Website (http://www.chriscundy.com/about.html)
3/13/2024

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


Track Listing:



Cornelius Cardew
1. SOLO WITH ACCOMPANIMENT
(1964) 5'01"
bass clarinet with three accompaniments

Ton de Leeuw
2. MOUNTAINS (1977) 18'11''
bass clarinet and tape

Thanos Chrysakis
3. FRYKTORIA (2019) 12'50''
five bass clarinets

Cornelius Cardew
4-7. MOUNTAINS (1977)
Variation I 2'50''
Variation II 5'32"
Variation III (Cadenza) 2'25"
Variation IV 3'35"
solo bass clarinet

John Cage
8. FIVE (1988) 5'05"
five bass clarinets

Related Categories of Interest:


Compositional Forms
Avant-Garde
Electro-Acoustic
Electroacoustic Composition
Recordings by or featuring Reed & Wind Players
Solo Artist Recordings
John Cage
London & UK Improv & Related Scenes
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
New in Compositional Music
Graphic Scores

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Aural Terrains.


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