George Lewis/Pauline Oliveros/Joëlle Léandre

Two live electro-acoustic programs skirt the boundaries between performance and programming with both remarkable because neither electronics interface nor acoustic improvisations take precedence over the other. There is some unbalance however since the duo on Synkretika are both American electro-acoustic composers, one of whom is Carl Stone, who use of a MAX/MSP programmed laptop involves manipulation of samples of music, voices and other sounds. Although Elliott Sharp too uses electronics, he also adds timbres from 8-string guitarbass and clarinet. On the other hand, Play As You Go features only one person using laptop electronics, American George Lewis, who also plays trombone, while fellow American, composer Pauline Oliveros sticks to button accordion, while France’s Joëlle Léandre improvises with her double bass and voice.

Divided into five tracks, the beginning of Synkretika is mostly devoted to expressive voltage whooshes, cranks, buzzes and pops until tremolo notes from a vocal chorus and a slice of guitar twangs are heard. While synthesized timbral manipulation is in the forefront of “Akigami” with captured sounds resembling those of brass bands, a calliope and muted voices, bass clarinet glissandi, key percussion and split tones are also prominent although they too are shaped by electronics. The electro-acoustic balance is maintained through the subsequent tracks, with Stone’s samples adding unexpected references to piano chording, steel drum resonations and church organ-like swells. But they take their place layered among the voltage whooshes and crunches that when taken to logical extreme appear both opaque and menacing as if metallic thrusts are being repelled by impenetrable material. As the narratives rotate and corkscrew textures there are also hints of sonic transmogrification as when what seem to be fiddle sweeps or string frail coalesce to be exposed as electronic pulses. Paradoxically “Oigami’’ is both the most obviously acoustic and most programmed tracks. Sharp’s skill creating primitivist bottleneck guitar slashes, rhythmic bass guitar strokes and squeaky reed trills are balanced by sampled tones coming in-and-out of aural focus. There’s no argument that shuddering clangs and the sudden interjection of a child’s recitation come from the laptop. But are piano-like chording, reed-like crackles and steadily accelerating concentrated tones produced live or repurposed by machines?

Sections are a bit clearer on the one long improvisation that makes up Play As You Go. But it also might be that after years developing instrumental expertise, the textures created by accordion, double bass and trombone are unmistakable. Not that electronics are pushed to the background however. On the contrary wave form loops and shudders mixed with sampled voices and percussive rumbles begin the improvisation which is quickly doubled by squeaky doubled bow strokes from the bassist and bellows-driven squeals from the accordionist. Léandre’s sul tasto rubs and high-pitched oscillations from the laptop soon fade into the background as Oliveros takes centre stage for a pseudo concertina showcase of jerky treble glissandi and key squeezes. Lewis’ plunger tones and Léandre warbling up the scale add to the lightness until a toughened detour thickens the timbres emanating from the acoustic instruments and the laptop to bleed into one another’s expositions. At mid point, following expansive drones being pierced by plunger brass tones, spiccato bow jumps from Léandre and a tremolo ostinato from Oliveros, the bassist unleashes faux romantic arco sweeps joined by imitation Paris café accordion splashes until computer sourced loops bring back the tougher theme. Working their way out of the undifferentiated mass of sound affiliations, laptop whooshes take over the foreground to the extent that undifferentiated modulations become bizarre as well as bonding. Outlining the meshed program with ring modulator-like gonging, the tripartite connection buzzes away underneath occasional voice rumbles, kettledrum-like reverb from the laptop and soothing organ glissandi.

Distinctive musical programs, both sessions suggest that acceptance rather than analysis is the best way to approach the performances to follow their individual evolution.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Synkretika: 1. Uigami 2. Akigami 3. Okigami 4. Oigami 5. Igami

Personnel: Synkretika: Elliott Sharp (8-string guitarbass, bass clarinet and electronics) and Carl Stone (laptop MAX/MSP)

Track Listing: Play: 1. Play As You Go

Personnel: Play: George Lewis (trombone and laptop electronics); Pauline Oliveros button accordion) and Joëlle Léandre (bass and voice)