Harry Partch: The Wayward

In many years of listening to the wild, wonderful and highly idiosyncratic and innovative music of Harry Partch, it was long hoped to see a performance of his work using the adapted and custom built instruments, which are fantastic to see as well as to hear, and that opportunity finally came a few weeks ago at the REDCAT and Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theatre in Los Angeles.  

The Partch Ensemble presented the program "Bewitching Petals," which combines the names of two of the composer's notable works, The Bewitched, of which some excerpts were presented of the 1956 piece, and And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma, from a decade later also comprising portions.  The other two works were "Listening to Lu-Tzu" by Ensemble leader John Schneider, using text from the great 8th -century Chinese poet, Li Po, some of whose verse was put to music by Partch in his early years of writing, this being the early 1930s, and "Parable of the Bitter," a brand-new piece by Daniel Corral, also an Ensemble member.

The concert was just outstanding with the phenomenal sounds of such instruments (Partch had two dozen of his invention) as the Chromolodeon, Cloud Chamber Bowl, Diamond Marimba, Drone Devil, Eroica, Gourd Tree, Spoils of War, Surrogate Kithara and the Zymo-Xyl, tuned to the 43 microtones to the octave that marked Partch's monophonic system.  Because he eschewed Bach's equal temperament, the notes sound out of tune to someone not familiar with Partch's method, but attuning the listening as well as noting the frequent use of small groups, duets, trios and so on, as well as appreciating the heavily percussive nature of the music helps to better understand what was behind the thinking of this unique composer.  A healthy sense of humor helps, too.

The eleven members of the Ensemble also frequently switched instruments, another unusual element of the concert and there were nine guests, some playing more traditional instruments like the bass clarinet, clarinet and piccolo, while there was a soprano voice, as well.  The interplay, often very complex and compelling, drew this listener back and forth, up and down across the stage in a way not experienced with traditional concerts.  Schneider's solo rendering of the Li Po piece was deeply immersive and powerful with his stentorian voice and the Adapted Guitar II sounding like a Chinese ch'in.  In all, it was a truly memorable and unique concertgoing experience and a plan to perform all of The Bewitched next year is eagerly anticipated.

Of three discs by the Ensemble purchased at intermission, the one featured here is The Wayward, the fourth and latest of a series by the group on the small, but important, label, Bridge.  Given Partch's years traveling the country, riding the rails as a hobo, and experiencing first-hand a subculture of Depression-era America that reminds this blogger of the homelessness crisis of our time, it is particularly striking to hear the music and the lyrics to such pieces as "Barstow," "The Letter," and, especially, the amazing "U.S. Highball," all composed between 1940 and 1955, with the former amended in 1968.

Also very impressive is "Ulysses at the Edge," dubbed "A Minor Adventure in Rhythm," and with a bonus impro version of the 1955-1962 work, to boot.  There are various recordings of the pieces on the recording, but it is always interesting to hear those rearranged in various sequences, as well as the quality based on the recording environment, mastering, and other aspects, not to mention the technology of a given time.  This album, like the others acquired, is beautifully played and recorded and the Ensemble and Bridge deserve every kudo for their impressive efforts.

One last word about the show that made it even more memorable.  At the end, the audience was encouraged to go to the stage for the "petting zoo," seeing and touching/playing the instruments, with Ensemble members to answer questions.  A friend that we sat with, Robert Portillo, works on some of these instruments and remarked that he'd never seen such engagement before at these "petting zoos."  The 15-minute opportunity was a great way to end a stunning evening, with the memory enlivened by this and the other discs brought back from the performance.

Mike Sopko, Bill Laswell, Tyshawn Sorey: On Common Ground

This 2020 release on Bill Laswell's M.O.D. Reloaded imprint definitely seems like a descendant of the first incarnation of Arcana, the trio that, a quarter century ago, harnessed crackling power and squalling intensity in intriguing ways with guitarist Derek Bailey and drummer Tony Williams.  Here the ever-explorative bassist and producer is joined by the titanic percussionist Tyshawn Sorey and the very creative guitarist Mike Sopko, who made a 2015 album with Laswell and another awesome drummer, Thomas Pridgen.

On the back of the package under the label logo are the words "Iconoclast Music Dialogue" and that certainly holds true with his uncompromising and bracing quintet of pieces, which begin with ambient soundscapes and, mostly, evolve into powerful and bracing explorations of far left-field power trio dynamics.

  Sopko is heavily featured here and his trebly power chords, often angular, knotty and skittish, are highly expressive in terms of his approaches to structure, manipulation of strings and broader effects.  As with all of his group efforts, Laswell largely holds the rhythm in a consistent way that allows for Sopko to employ a full-range of performance techniques, though he gets center stage for much of "Parascience."  The amazing and very versatile Sorey utilizes the full resources of his drum kit, from heavy fills, thundering rolls, complex polyrhythms, crashing and slashing cymbal work good old bashing and thrashing and dub-like textures.

With his "collision music" ethos of bringing together players from diverse backgrounds with little or no advance preparation, Laswell's approach means these pieces aren't so much songs as acoustical canvasses on which these musical masters apply their media, varying one from the other, sometimes with aggression and little structure, but often with precision and careful consideration.  What also stands out is that it can easily be discerned that the trio listens to each other, following where one leads, not playing over each other and almost always working seamlessly toward resolution.  And, when they don't, it doesn't much matter because exploration and improvisation allow for some level of ambiguity and uncertainty.

On Common Ground is another of Laswell's trio projects that can, at times, confound, but also be highly rewarding in hearing these excellent performers work together, seemingly with little or no composing, to push each other toward what are often the outer limits of musical structures.  With Laswell seriously ill and largely unable to perform, one hopes that he'll be able to recover and reward us with more music as exciting and gripping as this outstanding record.

For Fanatics Only: Miles Davis: The Complete Live at the Plugged Nickel, 1965

On 26 May, the centennial of the birth of the great Miles Davis was commemorated with people around the world remembering and celebrating the artist of this musical master.  Though this blogger, born the same year and in the Windy City, has long had a recording of highlights from the classic 1965 concerts of the second classic, acquiring the box set of eight discs documenting two nights of shows at Chicago's Plugged Nickel was a continuing intention until realized just a little more than a week after the 100th birthday.

Not unlike repeated listening of the box of this group's albums from 1965 to 1968, hearing these performances several times is another reminder of how subtle the revolutionary effects that Miles, pianist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and drummer Tony Williams, really were.  In an era when the ferment and sonic shockwaves of free jazz roiled so many, including Davis (though his own dramatic shift later was pretty stunning, as well), what this quartet did was truly remarkable.

Much of what was experimented with concerned rhythm, most obviously with what Williams, who'd just turned 20 years old, was doing with the beat, his amazing cymbal work and more, while Carter took harmony to a new level for bassists.  Hancock was masterful with space and economical accompaniments, such as through comping, while his solos flowed beautifully and melodically.  Being upfront with the leader, as well as an excellent composer, Shorter drew more attention, both for his melodic gifts and his careful placement of notes that well complemented what Davis always prized.

In his thoughtful notes, Bob Blumenthal observed that, with this young, innovative trio melding so brilliantly with the leader, whose undeniable talent for picking great musicians was never clearer than with this lineup, "ballads might turn into flagwavers, flagwavers into head-shaking groovers," even as Davis relied heavily in his repertoire on such chestnuts as "Stella by Starlight," "My Funny Valentine," "All of You," and "On Green Dolphin Street," while "Agitation" was the only recent original and others, such as "So What," "All Blues," "Walkin'," and "Milestones" hearkened back to Davis' storied career.

It has long been felt that for a few years prior to this period, Davis was in a rut, though the Seven Steps to Heaven box set, to be featured here in the future, shows that there was plenty of great playing then and the Sam Rivers experiment with Miles in Tokyo is, to this listener, a fascinating one.  It is definitely the case, however, as this set amply demonstrates, that this quartet was truly something special and one for the ages.

Orissi Dance Music: An Ancient Performance from Orissa

This is another stellar release in the JVC (Japan Victor Corporation) World Sounds series with great music, generally called Odissi, from the eastern state of Orisha in India that accompanies a form of classical dance that, as the liners note, "is known for the sculpture-like poses of the dancers" and which was said to be influenced by temple sculptures.  

It is added that this form of dance and music began with temple prayers with maharis, or young women who danced for the gods while residing in the religious edifices.  In later times, however, the performance of orissi took place in courts and at festivals, but, despite the location changes, the components remained intact.

While the music here is by those from Orisha, the notes remark that the use of raga melody and tala rhythms originated with the Karnatic tradition of South India, though elements also come from the state of Bengal to the north.  The five instruments include the pakhawaj, a dual-headed drum; the violin, the bansuri, or flute; the manjiri, or gong; and the harmonium, while there are also male and female vocals.

The pieces consist of two pallavi, in which "a simple rhythm gradually grows in complexity" and "the vocal line forming the melody consists entire of meaningless syllables," which, to this listener, means that the voice is one of the instruments.  The third tune, a dashaavatara is a hymn from the Gita Govinda and concerns a description of ten incarnations of the god Vishnu.  Yami He, or "To Whom Shall I Go?" also is taken from that ancient work and is about a female shepherd waiting for the arrival of the god Krishna.  Lastly, Yahi Madhava ("Go Over There") reflects the shepherd reprimanding the god after arriving following an assignation with another woman.

Being a massive country within a subcontinent, India has a remarkable diversity in its music and the Orissi Dance Music recorded here in 1986, with the troupe performing at a JVC studio in Tokyo, is representative of a merging of styles from adjoining areas of the Orisha state.  The performances are exquisite, including the singing as well as the instrumental playing and the sound quality is stellar.  Multiple listening is a treat because it is both an aural excursion to eastern India, but also time traveling through a tradition dating back many centuries.