Bultmann is a classically trained violist who has of late been exploring the byways of improvisation. Here, we find an attractive balance between a rather neo-Romantic approach and freeform abstraction, one that, among string players, you might most closely liken to Malcolm Goldstein.

He opens with a lovely solo work, "Welcome", full of melancholy and longing, the viola rich and low. It's an intriguing beginning to what is in some ways a 14-part suite, the titles making up a short poem by Bultmann. The second track opens with Roscoe Mitchell's stirring tenor (Mitchell performs on four pieces, Parry Karp contributes cello on three and Paddy Cassidy plays djembe on one), leading to a fine and unusual conversation between the saxophone and viola. Bultmann doesn't confine himself to the viola but throws in some keyboard work (including a Wurlitzer), vocals and field recordings. "the madness", with all four musicians present, is a surging piece, propelled by Karp's Wadud-ish cello, and entering a kind of Hamza el Din territory. The remainder of the disc occasionally reaches this level of interest and varies the attacks enough, including forays into minimalism, to keep one's ears at attention. Bultmann's insistence on playing in a relatively traditional manner (i.e., not following the pathways of, say, Philip Wachsmann or other extreme abstractionist string players) serves as a needed "glue" to give cohesion to these disparate ideas. That traditionalism comes with a price however, and imbues even these seemingly different pieces with a slight tint of sameness; one sometimes aches for more grit, more-chance-taking on Bultmann's part. Still, when the underlying material is strong enough, as on "Reverently", featuring Mitchell's beautiful flute work or the concluding "ocean" (again accompanied by Mitchell-hmmm, think there's a trend here?), Terminally Unique shows great promise.

Nils Bultmann: Terminally Unique Is On Sale at Squidco!