Taylor Ho Bynum & Jacqueline Kerrod

Hasse Poulsen, Fredrik Lundin, Tomasz Dąbrowski
Unknown Winter
BMC CD 341

Unusual pairings of a brass instrument and strings (plus) result in unique sessions that stretch the boundaries of habitual timbral connections. Mixing compositions and improvisations are American cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum, who usually leads his own bands and South African harpist Jacqueline Kerrod, who has recorded with Anthony Braxton among others. Adding the tenor saxophone of longtime collaborator and fellow Dane Fredrik Lundin, guitarist Hasse Poulsen, in bands with the likes of Daniel Erdman, works out variations of 14 of his compositions with Polish trumpeter Tomasz Dąbrowski, who works with many groups including those of Marek Pospieszalski

Essence of the Bynum and Kerrod interaction is when harpist’s kaleidoscopic string deviations allow her to stroke, slide or squeak textures which move past expected sounds from her 47-string pedal harp to touch on frails and pumps that resemble those from guitar, cello or even folkloric instruments. This is necessary since Bynum’s brass progress that at junctures encompasses half-valve growls, grace notes and gutbucket plunger work is from cornet, double-belled cornet, flugelhorn or mutes.

“No Such Thing” is an instance of this as the harpist states the theme following an introduction of pinprick-like plucks which accelerates to sudden stops and strums intersecting with Bynum’s prestissimo bites, yelps and snarls. When with whistles and widening flutters he digs further into the horn’s body tube, Kerrod counters with bottleneck-like spawls, multiple string glissandi and finalized stops. This back-and-forth continues throughout, whether the duo play in tandem, in broken chords or with solo interludes, smoothly or ruggedly and as the tempo arches to andante, adagio or presto

While that was one of the disc’s full-fledged improvs, similar strategies are used on the compositions. In fact “Ways we Bump Along” takes its shape from the harpist’s multi-string waves that sound more like so-called classical music styling than anything else. Although the cornetist’s graceful note-bending and yearning sighs complement that shift, there are enough variations that mate string swirls and angled twangs with harsh buzzes and falling tones from Bynum to confirm the track’s contemporary thrust.

Poulsen’s string variations on the other CD involve his use of the uncommon arco mando-guitar as well as the familiar six-string model. Unlike the Bynum-Kerrod soloist-accompanist switches, it’s his chugging rhythm guitar like patterns which cement the bottom-line groove for many tracks. Also Lundin‘s role is to often add gentle or mellow textures alongside the guitar-trumpet interchanges. Intermittently, when not harmonizing with the trumpeter to advance narratives, the saxophonist squeaks, snarls or honks.

With few hard edges, a common group interpretative strategy is textural layering, Whether unison or expressed in broken chords, guitar string clangs and projected reed flutters topped with brass triplets blend for distinctive, linear melodies. Sometimes the result is pastoral (“Let the Bells Ring”), military-march-like (“Complaint in Southern Sweden”); reminiscent of processional village bands (“Shadow, My Sweet Nurse”) or even Morse code like messaging (“Any Bright Eye”).

More generally those tracks which highlight the original textures projected from Poulsen’s strings and Dąbrowski’s brass technique make better aural calling cards for the band. The finger-styled echoes propelled by Poulsen on “Unknown Winter” for instance are original enough to take on first electrified then rounded properties, joining triplet brass squeals to expand the exposition before descending to blend. Or the guitarist’s rugged flanges on “Wasp and Butterfly” fragment the previously airy treble connection to firmly contrast lyricism with fortitude. If there’s a place where the session falls down though, it’s in the sheer number of tracks. More development way past the five-minute mark may have displayed talents further.

Other than that both discs prove that any combination of instruments can produce notable sounds if the right musicians are involved.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Simple: 1. Frederick Fanfare (For Lester B.) 2. Ways we Bump Along 3. Zade/A Simple Ending 4. No Such Thing 5. The Self is Ever Stirred

Personnel: Simple: Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet, double-belled cornet, flugelhorn and mute) and Jacqueline Kerrod (Lyon & Healy concert grand pedal harp)

Track Listing: Unknown: 1. Drum Solo 2. Counting Stars 3. On Walls 4. Wasp and Butterfly 5. Shadow, My Sweet Nurse 6. So to Speak 7. Natives 8. Any Bright Eye 9. Dark Moon 10. Unknown Winter 11. Complaint in Southern Sweden 12. Let the Bells Ring 13. Survival of the Fattest 14. Holy Room

Personnel: Unknown: Tomasz Dąbrowski (trumpet); Fredrik Lundin (tenor saxophone) and Hasse Poulsen (guitar and, arco mando-guitar)