The Squid's Ear
Email:
THE
SQUID'S
EAR

Squidco Sales



Recent Reviews:



Joe Morris / Agusti Fernandez / Nate Wooley:
From the Discrete to the Particular
(Relative Pitch)




Yoshi Wada:
Singing in Unison
(EM Records)




Aperiodic:
Future Feedback
(Phratry Records)




Alexander Hawkins and Louis Moholo-Moholo:
Keep Your Heart Straight
(Ogun)




Loren Connors & Suzanne Langille:
I Wish I Didn't Dream
(Northern Spy)




Bevan / Morris / Buck / Lash:
Tony-Joe Bucklash
(Foghorn Records)




Sam Pluta:
Machine Language
(Carrier Records)




Irabagon, Jon with Mike Pride and Mick Barr:
I Don't Hear Nothin' but the Blues - Volume 2: Appalachian Haze
(Irabbagast Records)




Hijokaidan / Akira Sakata:
Made In Studio
(doubtmusic)




Angles 8:
By Way of Deception-Live in Ljubjana
(Clean Feed)




The Squid's Ear
Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


Jean-Luc Guionnet / Seijiro Murayama 
Window Dressing  
(Potlatch) 


review by Jeph Jerman
2012-03-26

Place this music somewhere on the sliding scale between older school improvisation and electroacoustic improvisation. Four tracks of about an hour's worth of minimal sound exploration from Guionnet on alto sax and Murayama on percussion, with lots of metallic popping from the horn while all manner of rubbing and scratching sounds issue from the drums, with occasional punctuation from struck membranes. On a previous recording with another saxophonist, Axiom For The Duration with Stephane Rives, the modus was high frequency/long duration. Here it is most decidedly other, with longish periods of near-silence poked through with splintered rhythms and small notes or short phrases from the sax.

At about the 8-minute mark during the opening track, "Procede", Guionnet lets loose with a long LOUD held note while Muraryama burbles and pangs underneath. After that, things quiet back down for the most part. Murayama is prone to circular rubbings occasionally shot with drum-head snaps, gradually changing the texture from papery to grainy. His sounds are intriguing and well placed, often conjuring up insectile memories, while Guionnet worries a trill or shortens, then lengthens a repeated phrase. Later on in the long first track there is a bit of quick interaction, which gives way to a return to small sounds punctuating silence. When he lets loose with the quick-quick, Guionnet's tone is sharp, a blade chopping notes. His held tones sound almost electronic at times. On "Processus" Murayama offers wind, fire and water sounds, which move around inside the stereo spectrum.

On headphones or at higher volumes there are some quiet details that may otherwise escape notice: soft movements that may or may not have been deliberate. It makes one wonder whether the title refers to physical objects, or the act of decorating a store window. Or a window itself.





Comments and Feedback:







Jean-Luc Guionnet / Seijiro Murayama: Window Dressing
Is On Sale at Squidco!
Squidco
Sponsors:

Squidco

Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear


Recent Selections @ Squidco:


Endangered Blood
(Black/Dunn/
Noriega/Speed):
Work Your
Magic
(Skirl)



Rara Avis
(Vandermark/Ferrian/
etc.):
Mutations/
Multicellulars
Mutations
[2 CDs]
(Den Records)



Steve Lacy & Joe McPhee:
The Rest [VINYL]
(Roaratorio)



Anne Guthrie/
Richard Kamerman:
Sinter
(ErstAEU)



Ceramic Dog
(Ribot/Smith/
Ismaily):
Your Turn
(Northern Spy)



Keiji Haino/
Jim O'Rourke/
Oren Ambarchi:
Now While
It's Still
Warm Let Us
Pour in All
the Mystery
[VINYL]
(Black Truffle)



The Convergence Quartet:
Slow and Steady
(NoBusiness)



Quat Quartet
(Fred Van Hove,
Els Vandeweyer,
Paul Lovens,
Martin Blume):
Live at Hasselt
(NoBusiness)



Melodic Art-Tet
(Brackeen, Abdullah,
Parker, Blank,
Waters):
Melodic Art-Tet
(NoBusiness)



Tortoise & The Ex:
In The
Fishtank 5
(Fishtank)



Tortoise & The Ex:
In The
Fishtank 5
[VINYL]
(Fishtank)



Takase, Aki:
My Ellington
(Intakt)



Koch-Schutz-Studer
With
Shelley Hirsch:
Walking And
Stumbling Through
Your Sleep
(Intakt)



John Cage
(Cornford/Monteiro/
Curgenven/Fages/
armer/...):
Cartridge Music
(Another Timbre)



Atolon +
Chip Shop
Music:
Public Private
(Another Timbre)



Devin Gray:
Dirigo Rataplan
(Skirl)



Peter Brotzmann
Chicago Tentet
plus guests:
Concert for
Fukushima
[DVD]
(PanRec/Trost Records)



Butcher/Buck/
Mayas/Stangl:
Plume
(Unsounds)



ADA Trio
(Brotzmann/
Lonberg-Holm/
Nilssen-Love):
with Pat Thomas
live at
Cafe OTO
(PNL)



Little Women:
Lung
(Aum Fidelity)


Little Apples









Squidco



The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © 2012 Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (2864)