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Kirk Knuffke: Amnesia Brown
ByThis trio has its roots in the Nublu Orchestra, which regularly plays a Monday night residency at the East Village club of the same name in New York City. Knuffke is joined by drummer Kenny Wollesen and Doug Wieselman, the latter alternating between clarinet and guitar. This is an extreme instance of instrumental oscillation and these switches do much to impose completely opposed characters whenever Wieselman swaps roles. On clarinet he's darting and capering lightly around the composer/leader's bright constructions; on guitar he'll darken the proceedings into a rusted reverb wire-tangle, chopping and clipping with untamed aggressiveness.
The pieces are two, three, maybe four minutes long, so Knuffke is able to include 16 tracks, providing ample opportunity for a feast of compressed melodic adventuring. The three revel in their own sound, but the nearest approximation can be conjured up by imagining a fantasy supergroup that alternately pools the talents of Jack DeJohnette, Ed Blackwell, Jimmy Giuffre, John Surman, Kenny Wheeler and Don Cherry.
Knuffke is a clarion cutter, dotting out detailed flurries. He's never less than scintillating. "Red Bag" is savage and broken, an angry burst, then "Leadbelly" sets up a marching groove, almost heading down to New Orleans on its rolling pathway. "Hears It" is particularly manic, followed by the serene "Totem," which transforms into an urban funk rumble. "Need" is a spidery slope, "Narrative" is contemplative, "Please Help, Please Give" rages. All of these natures belong to Knuffke and his cohorts, exposed with sensitivity or pugilism according to the rapidly-shifting moods of these refreshingly pointed strafes.
Track Listing
How It Goes; Double; Level; Amnesia Brown; 2nd; Red Bag; Leadbelly; Practical Sampling; Hears It; Totem; Need; Fix It, Charlie; High-Pants Bob; Narrative; Please Help, Please Give; Anne.
Personnel
Kirk Knuffke
trumpetKirk Knuffke: trumpet; Doug Wieselman: clarinet/guitar; Kenny Wollesen: drums.
Album information
Title: Amnesia Brown | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records
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