Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Wayne Horvitz: 55: Music and Dance In Concrete

15

Wayne Horvitz: 55: Music and Dance In Concrete

By

Sign in to view read count
Wayne Horvitz: 55: Music and Dance In Concrete
Reviewed on LP, the only other option for this release is a digital download, but with the latter you won't get the sharp colorful booklet that includes photos of the corresponding dance moves, choreographed by Yukio Suzuki and Wayne Horvitz' detailed album notes. The album was recorded at an old military base, Fort Worden that is situated in a state park outside of Seattle. In fact, the Fort serves as an additional instrument, especially heightened by the inherent analog vinyl pressing. The premise for this production emanates from Horvitz' numerous electronics works transposed to dance, video, and performed by the acoustic ensemble comprised of hornists and strings performers. And while he's revered for thinking outside the box within jazz rock, chamber jazz and other mediums, the concepts posed here, signify one of his most exploratory undertakings to date.

Listening to this album as a continuous piece via the subdivision of works and mini-plots, flowed rather seamlessly. The musicians venture into nouveau classical incursions amid what appears to be subliminal electronics effects caressing the strings and horns passages in choice spots. Several movements summon imagery of an interminable void. And various sections are designed with mesmeric and oscillating single note patterns atop swarming staccato lines.

Side B commences with the hornists' delivering a regal declaration of sorts, tinted with shadowy voices. It must be stated that Horvitz also intersperses sumptuous phrasings, equating to multi-hued pastoral settings with resonating accents and unexpected studio cuts in-between choruses. Moreover, the ensemble contrasts the production with minimalist detours and opuses that mimic the implied dance moves. Another striking characteristic is how the stone, plaster and wood construction of the fort generates a temperate foreground, inducing great depth. Ultimately, Horvitz' brainchild is a multidimensional feast for the aural senses that goes beyond the norm, and may even feature a few undocumented phantoms providing a transcendent aura along the way.

Track Listing

55 (1); 55 (15); 55 (29); 55 (10); 55 (16); 55 (26); 55 (3); 55 (5); 55 (21); 55 (18); 55 (12); 55 (9); 55 (20).

Personnel

Wayne Horvitz
keyboards

Wayne Horvitz: music; Yohei Saito: video; Yukio Suzuki: choreographer; Tucker Martine: live recording – Steve O’Brien: trumpet; Naomi Siegel: trombone; Kate Olson: soprano saxophone; Beth Fleenor: clarinet and bass clarinet; Briggan Krauss: alto saxophone; Maria Mannisto: voice; Eyvind Kang: viola; Heather Bentley: viola; Roweena Hammil: cello; Victoria Parker: violin. “Kingyo” -Haruka Akagi: dance; Nao Ashimine: dance; Taeko Horii: dance.

Album information

Title: 55: Music and Dance In Concrete | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Self Produced

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.