Corona. COVID-19. The virus. Damned, cursed words. We wish we had never heard of them. While it is still much too early to grasp its impact – on society, economic systems, our mental health, the arts (remember those?),… – it’s safe to presume that in no time, we will be treated to a storm of third-rate B-movies, books and concept albums about this global pandemic. And why not? It’s the one thing that turned all of our lives upside-down, changed previously controversial issues into vague remembrances (Brexit almost feels like a bad nightmare these days) and caused some of us to question life in the early 21st century. Of course, things never got into a post-apocalyptic The Stand-like mode, but still… for a while we all thought things were going to be different, would change for the good. Maybe they still will. Who knows.
Another positive thing is that people went looking for alternatives. For many musicians, the loss of concert opportunities led to intimate performances broadcast from living rooms, kitchens and rooftops. A fine way to stay active and reach out to an audience, but not a sustainable, long-term solution. Others looked for, and found, new ways of collaborating, which is exactly what happened here. Playing improvised music comes with a few limitations all practising artists are familiar with (hardly any press coverage, small audiences, lousy fees, etc.), but improvising musicians are also an inventive bunch, used to adapting to new circumstances and, most of all: always ready for a new challenge.
Four musicians, two Belgian and two English, set out to record a session in June. Tom Ward and Cath Roberts belong to a wave of young improvisers (though both also compose) that also includes a few others that could be heard on this label, like Benedict Taylor, Daniel Thompson and Colin Webster. Along with Webster, Ward and Roberts also organise the BRÅK concert series, and besides that, both of them performed with Favourite Animals, Saxoctopus, the Madwort Saxophone Quartet, the London Improvisers Orchestra and Dirk Serries’ Tonus ensemble, to name just a few. Together with Martina Verhoeven, Serries and JackTrip software, they succeeded in recording new music. Two locations, four musicians, one internet connection.
The result is damn impressive. Not just because of the excellent audio quality (it was a nice touch to separate the wind instruments in the stereo spectrum), but also because of the strong interplay. Improvisers are used to playing by ear, but are usually also performing in the same space with its specific acoustics. In this case, you would never guess these musicians weren’t even in the same country during the recordings. You could argue that it is the kind of music that is so free that it would be hard to find a cohesive story anyway, but any fan of improvised music and frequent concert goer will tell you that even during the freest of strong improvised performances, the empathy remains tangible.
Throughout this hour of quartet interaction, you are taken on a journey that is not about reaching a specific destination, nor is it about working with climaxes. Instead, you are listening to the arts of listening and transformation, with passages full of abstract rustling, jagged edges and breathy flurries; to gradual build-ups, moments that feel so spontaneous and intimate that you might think you are listening to exotic field recordings. And then there are moments that remind you of how powerful a piano and a baritone saxophone can be, how unique a bass clarinet sounds, and that the guitar can be played in so many ways. One could go into detail about the richness involved here, about the cadence, the dissolving of sounds, the pacing and balance, but it is even better to listen for yourself. You only need time, two ears and some imagination to understand the fascinating power of improvised music. Even when it is a cross-channel undertaking.
Guy Peters 2020
