Elliott Sharp

Adding to his catalogue of innovative music with various sized groups, multi-instrumentalist Elliott Sharp has re-orchestrated a suite he composed in the early 1970s for a nine-piece ensemble. Besides utilizing the talents of top contemporary improvisers, Sharp who plays Bb and bass clarinets, soprano and alto saxophones, mandolin, guitar, baritone guitar and electronics uses conceptual instructions and a collage of overdubs and granulation to reflect these 12 interpretation of the insects, birds and outside atmosphere experienced in the rural area of Germantown NY.

Judging from the electronically induced clangs, throbs, signal processed whistles, overlapping timbres and menacing drones, the supposedly pastoral area sounds as frantic as any big city at rush hour. This leads players like Nate Wooley to find space for brittle trumpet triplets and portamento or Terry L. Greene II for trombone plunger slides. Bypassing lyrical strokes the string section of Sara Salomon (violin); Judith Insell (viola); Hao Jiang (cello) and Shayna Dulberger (bass)’s harsh string saws and slices add to the concentrated interplay, while Don McKenzie’s drums ruffs are mostly camouflaged by textures from arching guitar riffs and snarling reed overblowing. Only pianist Anthony Coleman maintains diverse chording to keep the sounds horizontal.

Eventually the suite climaxes with a polyphonic release that separates the intertwined electronic and acoustic timbres to outline the musical progress that has been created. Not what everyone would imagine from a sojourn in the country, these Hudson River Compositions illuminate another aspect of Sharp’s constantly unique and surprising work.

— Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Fireflies 2. Unison 3. Hocket 4. Flocking 5. Chop Space 6. Branching 7. Self-Similar 8. River 9. Hemiola 10. Max Density 11. Overtone Frenzy 12. Play The Opposite

Personnel: Nate Wooley (trumpet); Terry L. Greene II (trombone); Elliott Sharp (Bb, bass clarinets, soprano, alto saxophones, mandolin, guitar, baritone guitar, electronics); Anthony Coleman (piano); Sara Salomon (violin); Judith Insell (viola); Hao Jiang (cello); Shayna Dulberger (bass); Don McKenzie (drums)