Josh Cole

Working their way through currents of improvised sounds accented with ambient, electroacoustic, minimalist and languid sounds further spaced with field recordings, are three accomplished Toronto improvisers. Bassist Josh Cole, who composed six of the 11 tracks, plays with Brodie West and others; reeds player Karen Ng is also busy with numerous groups; and vibes/marimba specialist Michael Davidson is involved is multiple form of music. To extend their sonic colors, each trio member also plays either synthesizer or pedals, with additional electronic supplied by Sandro Perri, plus field recordings on one crucial track from Joe Strutt. Much of the playing and composition is imposing, especially in how different timbral strands are knit together. However ultimately the disc suffers from having too many brief tracks that don’t allow for enough textural development.

Interestingly, tracks that appear to have the most traction are group improvisations. “A 10 Minute Walk from Here” for instance, cannily extends tonal ambiguity by mixing organ-like tremolos from the synthesizer and an ascending collage of vibraphone notes mixed with fragments of noises from transit motion, street sounds and conversational fragments. Although it ends too suddenly, “Expectations” also lives up to expectations as the three put aside their usual output of harmonized vibe slaps, horizontal reed pitches and double bass stops for more extended techniques. Here Davidson’s tolling metal bar emphasis and Cole’s bass thumps perfectly complement Ng’s altissimo squeaks and flutter tonguing. Vibrating synth whooshes and buzzes supersede acoustic instruments on “Holding Pattern”, the longest tracks. These sounds creatively intersect with the thickened vibrations and shrill whistles from passing trains mixed with emphasized male and female cross talk, all of which remain in the air after the track finishes.

Still a little more improvisational looseness and more space to develop ideas would have made the disc more memorable.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. The Subway 2. Talking Makes it Worse 3. The Bar 4. A 10 Minute Walk from Here 5. Inside 6. Red Deer 7. Expectations 8. Daughters 9. Holding Pattern* 10. Over the Bridge 11. Tired

Personnel: Karen Ng (alto saxophone, clarinet and synthesizer); Michael Davidson (marimba, vibraphone and pedals) and Josh Cole (bass, synthesizer, sampler/field recordings and pedals); Sandro Perri (additional electronics) and Joe Strutt (field recording)*