The Squid's Ear Magazine


Bechegas, Carlos / Ernesto Rodrigues / Carlos Santos: Echoing The Chorus Of Life (Creative Sources)

Lisbon contemporary flutist and improviser Carlos Bechegas, an associate of Carlos Zingaro and his electroacoustic trio, joins violist Ernesto Rodrigues and long-time collaborator Carlos Santos in a uniquely electronic, chamber-oriented, mysteriously crepuscular improvisation captured live at Casa do Comum, Lisbon, Portugal during the 2024 "SpectraLx" event.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Carlos Bechegas-flute

Ernesto Rodrigues-viola, crackle box

Carlos Santos-electronics


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UPC: 5609063408126

Label: Creative Sources
Catalog ID: cs812
Squidco Product Code: 34645

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2024
Country: Portugal
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded live at Casa do Comum, Lisbon, Portugal, during the "SpectraLx" event, on January 27th, 2024, by Carlos Santos.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"I'd added some thoughts in November here about a newly documented collaboration between Ernesto Rodrigues, incredibly prolific as well, and flautist Carlos Bechegas: Secrets Under Trees (also with Guilherme Rodrigues), recorded last June, was noted in the longer review of Bechegas for (another trio album with string players in Portugal) Open in Finder. And the two have promptly returned - after what had earlier been a long absence from recording for Bechegas... - with Echoing the Chorus of Life (recorded in Lisbon in January, so the first 2024 recording that I'm noting here...), alongside Carlos Santos on electronics.

The latter has been a frequent collaborator for Rodrigues - first mentioned here with Surfaces in September 2015 (paralleling the first mention of Joao Madeira, as it happens...), an album including Nuno Torres on alto sax as well, the latter joining Rodrigues and Santos for another new trio album, Impulses and Signals (recorded in 2023, but) unusually delayed in its release.... Anyway, given the particular participation of Santos, whose tendency in these collaborations is to stay in the background, quiet electronics delicately twisting overtone spectra, against which the more assertive players articulate, the one-movement outing suggests almost the intimacy of a duo.... (The approach might thus be compared e.g. to Anthony Braxton and his SuperCollider electronics, i.e. with a musician on either side of the "curtain," but per a more linear arrangement there, pace the twisting and folding tapestries of Rodrigues et al. It's also been unclear what tech Santos actually uses.) In that sense, Echoing the Chorus of Life can also be heard as something of a development of Stratus, a septet album also (subtly) featuring Santos - and first reviewed here in January 2019 - alongside a range of colorfully fusing and airy wind and string timbres.

Echoing the Chorus of Life is then a more pared down or focused interaction, a single arc that takes in considerable territory from insects and birds to both underwater and airy (or even outer...) spaciousness (all generally being naturalistic evocations, of course...), developing particularly well-fused and distinctive timbral combos between flute and viola - as inflected by Santos throughout, who does also come to the fore at times. A delicate (even windswept...) sense of wave motion is then often in play (pace various Rodrigues examples...). And the focus does lead to some thinner sections, but the arc of the single track's momentum is also continually recontextualizing each successive tone and (micro)interval. Intensity can thus seem low in some (immediate) moments, substituted for a generalized sense of suspension, i.e. underlying feelings of scope and mystery. (Santos is becoming more sophisticated in his musical contributions, but I can't say that I enjoy his graphics as much here, red frame with white script lettering....)

So Echoing the Chorus of Life does present a welcome development and concentration of prior results, while also seeming to herald yet more from Bechegas..."-Todd McComb's Jazz Thoughts


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Artist Biographies

"Flutist, improviser and composer, born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1957. For eight years he studied Classical Music and played with Carlos Zingaro and his electro-acoustic improvisation trio... He took several workshops on different musical languages such as jazz and improvised music with Steve Potts, Takashi Kako, Carlos Zingaro, Steve Lacy, Evan Parker, Richard Teitelbaum and Peter Kowald. He took Contemporary Classic Composition lessons with Emmanuel Nunes and Flute extended techniques with Pierre-Yves Artaud; he also studied Theatre and Multimedia. He has played solo, in duos and trios in several concerts and some of the most important festivals in the World, having released several CDs. As parallel activities, he has worked for several years in Music and Drama therapy with handicapped-children; in 1993/95 he organised two improvised music meetings; he took and directed music workshops on improvisation and composition with new technologies. He recently began to do Photograph exhibitions, and has created his author label "Forward.rec" to exclusively release his music projects."

-Portuguese Music Research & Information Center (http://www.mic.pt/dispatcher?where=0&what=2&show=0&compositor_id=91&pessoa_id=177&lang=EN&site=ic)
12/3/2024

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"He has been playing the violin for 30 years and in that time has played all genres of music ranging from contemporary music to free jazz and improvised music, live and in the studio.

His main interest shifted towards contemporary improvised and composed music.

The relationship with his instruments is focused in sonic and textural elements.

Electronic music was an early influence on his approach to violin playing, which challenges traditional romantic concepts of the violin/viola through use of preparations and micro tuning.

Active in different settings on the Portuguese scene for free improvised music, both as a collaborator and in leading his own groups.

Music for Dance, Cinema, Video and Performance.

Has created the record label Creative Sources Recordings in 1999, which mainly concentrates on releasing experimental and electro-acoustic music."

-Creative Sources (http://creativesourcesrec.com/creative_artists.html)
12/3/2024

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

"Studied painting with António Sena (Ar.Co, 1988 -1992), worked in advertising for a period of time, but nowadays works as graphic designer in corporate identity, packaging, web and audio-video production.

Started sound/music activities in 1989 when formed the VITRIOL project with Paulo Raposo, a laboratory for experimental sound actions, in a first stage with studio work followed in 1994 by live output, mainly live electronics, concrete music with a improvised or graphic score oriented approach. Uses the laptop with software written in MaxMsp, small resonant objects, microphones and piezo elements to produce a music that deals with space and its sound characteristics. Interests in "soundscape" and field recordings are a huge part of his work, for piece preparation or just for archival purposes, Always recording, events, spaces or music. Multi-channel acusmatic music and radio pieces.

Presents himself solo in site-specific audio-video works, or in duos with João Silva (video, sound, photography), "Inhabitaded Spaces" with Ricardo Guerreiro (computer, mics), "Venús Pistolletto" with Emídio Buchinho (elec. guitar, mics, objects) and trios with Ernesto Rodrigues (violin) and Guilherme Rodrigues (cello) or ZNGR electroacustic trio with Carlos "Zíngaro and Emídio Buchinho. Member of several formations, "(Des)Integração" laptop ensemble (2001-2003) or in more electroacoustic sets, uses live-electronics and sampling which is the case of "Suspensão" septep, VGO, variable geometry orchestra and specially a trio close related to the "near silence" aesthetics, with Ernesto Rodrigues (violin, harp) and Guilherme Rodrigues (cello) with already several CD releases, always with at least one international improviser guest. Presented his work in Portugal, Spain, France, UK and Germany. Worked with artists from several media: dance, performance and video. Music and sound design for video and animation. Video and sound editing for comercial projects. Played live or in recording projects throughout the years with a lot of musician and sound artists. His sound work is documented in several CD releases. Belongs to the Granular board of directors, a portuguese association for experimental art and does the image of Creative Sources label. Broadcasts "Boca Doce" show at Rádio Zero (web) and other special shows. Workshops and seminars in digital audio manipulation, Maxmsp programming and sound art practise."

-Creative Sources (http://creativesourcesrec.com/creative_artists.html)
12/3/2024

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


Track Listing:



1. Echoing the Chorus of Life 35:34

Related Categories of Interest:


Creative Sources
Improvised Music
Free Improvisation
Electro-Acoustic
Electro-Acoustic Improv
Trio Recordings
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