Christian Lillinger

Recasting his Open Form for Society in a live setting, German drummer Christian Lillinger does more than open up the compositions for elaboration by 11 musicians. Instead time the nine re-imagined and one new tune are so concerned with idiophone-like collisions and swipes that the international ensemble could be a bizarre variant of Les Percussions de Strasbourg or a similar assemblage.

In truth besides Lillinger’s drums only the vibraphone, marimba and glockenspiel of Germans Christopher Dell and Roland Neffe are percussion instruments. However the idea of treating piano patterns as the equivalent of tuned drums is expressed vigorously by Slovenian Kaja Draksler, Greek Antonis Anissegos, Austrian Elias Stemeseder and Americans Cory Smythe and Ron Stabinsky. Additionally bassists Petter Eldh from Sweden and Robert Landfermann from Germany and British cellist Lucy Railton emphasize their instruments’ thick pizzicato strokes.

Moderato “OFFS” the first track, is the only one not reprised, but it decisively sets up the ringing cross pulsations among the multi keyboards and idiophones that characterize the tracks. With stopped keys, tonal shading and sliding pivots the pianists suggest multiple theme variations whole moving the pieces forward. Concurrently, the bassists’ contributions aren’t neglected, for instance introducing “Triangular” with an interlude of pastoral scene-setting sweeps and later setting up a contrapuntal exchange between arco textures and piano patterning. “Mock to” and “Mocking”, which follow, find one bassist bowing and the other plucking until restrained interludes are strengthened with cymbal top scrapes and skipping vibe-marimba echoes. Lillinger has never been one for restraint either. Among the distinctive clatters and clinks from marimba, vibes and glockenspiel plus the jagged runs and broken chord narratives from the pianists, he keeps pressure mounting and intensifying with Mylar pumps, ratamacues backbeats and splattering echoes. Additionally, multiple piano vibrations are amplified with electronic whizzes or made more dramatic with variable soundboard echoes.

Eventually the layered strands are pulled together on “Aorta”. Boosted with a fluid electric bass pulse amplified with Wurlitzer and synthesizer flutters, the concluding track reaches a climax of tutti piled up tones until the staccato mood is pacified with fluid piano licks Emphasizing the intensity and interaction of the players, this second run through suggests that other notable project variants could be created.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. OFFS 2. Sisyphos (CMS) 3. Laktat 4.Thür 5. Titan 6. Triangular 7. Mock to 8. Mocking 9. Basel 10. Aorta

Personnel: Antonis Anissegos, Kaja Draksler, Cory Smythe (piano); Ron Stabinsky (synthesizer, Wurlitzer, piano); Elias Stemeseder (synthesizer, piano); Christopher Dell (vibraphone); Roland Neffe (marimbaphone, vibraphone, glockenspiel); Lucy Railton (cello); Robert Landfermann (bass); Petter Eldh (bass, electric bass); Christian Lillinger (drums)