In the best free improvised music, a player's lifetime of
experiences is brought to bear on immediate circumstances to generate a
unique creative act, something that could never have happened anytime or
anywhere else and could only have been made by that musician.
This solo performance, a felicitous match of a man and a room, is one such work of
art.
Saxophonist Mats Gustafsson employs the entire range of his
instrument, from the familiar notes and cries that you can find on any old
r&b recording to harsh overblowing, the quiet clatter of keys, the whisper
of breath over the mouthpiece, the percussive slap and bubbling flutter of
tongue against reed. He also plays the flageolet, a French fife that
reaches into the dog range, and the fluteophone, a self-invented flute/sax
hybrid, to further broaden his range. Gustafsson's playing on other
recordings ranges from insectoid scatter to full-bore out-jazz splatter,
but here he plays the room.
This performance, which was immaculately recorded by Jim O'Rourke, occured within the resonant confines of Chicago's
Rennaissance Society, a museum space with an exceptional natural echo.
Gustafsson responded to the room's acoustic properties by playing sharp
blats, honks, and squeaks that the echo multiplied into dense rhythmic
clouds. He also played long tones, slowly varying them to mingle with the
space's ringing response in order to achieve mind-altering microtonal
effects. Gustafsson organized his exhilarating sounds with such
concentration that they sound inevitable, no matter how far out he goes.
If you like Mats Gustafsson, check out:
Polwechsel Polwechsel 2
David S. Ware Surrendered
Sonic Youth Goodbye 20th Century
John Wolf Brennan, Gene Coleman, Christian Wolfarth Momentum
ICP Orchestra Jubilee Varia
Joe Morris Many Rings
Lee Ranaldo Amarillo Ramp
John Coltrane Interstellar Space
Alan Shorter Orgasm
Nels Cline and Thurston Moore Pillow Wand
