Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Opeye: Moss 'Comes Silk (Avant-Shamanistic Trance Jazz)

Opeye: Moss 'Comes Silk (Avant-Shamanistic Trance Jazz)

By AAJ Staff
December 1, 2000
Sign in to view read count

Opeye: Moss 'Comes Silk (Avant-Shamanistic Trance Jazz)

Opeye's 1995 recording Moss 'Comes Silk is about the most open-ended free improvisation project one could imagine. The instrumentation is truly global; the playing obeys no fixed parameters or arrangement. In such a setting, one might predict the onset of disorganization and/or the crushing void of chaos. But the players in Henry Kuntz's band Opeye demonstrate a keen sensitivity to each other's playing, allowing the group to keep moving forward as a whole. Collective improvisation is often two steps ahead of noise, but as long as it maintains even the most abstract coherence, it can avoid the abyss. (Besides, a little noise never hurt anyone, did it?) Musical evolution on Moss 'Comes Silk comes about via a relative mechanism instead of anything absolute: unpredictability is the fertile soil in which this music grows.

"Abstract" is perhaps the most apt word to describe Moss 'Comes Silk. While the subtitle suggests some sort of repetitious, ostinato, groove-laden material best absorbed in an intoxicated state, the reality is exactly the opposite. The emotional range on Moss 'Comes Silk spans whispering contemplation to screeching explosion, usually simmering somewhere just short of overt tension. Saxophone, trumpet, or string-based instrumental leads serve as a foreground to a dense web of multiphonic accompaniment. The musicians use extended techniques to convert melody into percussion (and vice versa), often transforming open tones into voice-like cries. While the overall effect can at times be overwhelming, the best way to overcome this hurdle is to suspend one's expectations. Listeners who prefer concrete order to overt abstraction should look elsewhere—but those curious about experimental integration of 'world music' instrumentation with free jazz might just find this disc a rewarding experience.

Track Listing

Brilliant Coral; Tepees and Dragons; Fancy Dancing Jaguar; Polyphonic Hymn; Eskimos on the Moon; Bayou Eskimos; Real Southern Hominy; Saffron and Jasmine; Noble Guardians; Ol'Spi'Ritual; Sentient Beings; Moss 'Comes Silk.

Personnel

Opeye

Henry Kuntz: tenor saxophone, Chinese musette, bamboo flutes, violins, Javanese gamelan, percussion; Ben Lindgren: bass, Javanese gamelan; Brian Godchaux: viola, Balinese gamelan, percussion; Esten Lindgren: trombone, trumpets, voice, guitar, ukelele, percussion; John Kuntz: guitar, mandolin, ukelele, Javanese gamelan, wind-up toy xylophone, percussion.

Album information

Title: Moss 'Comes Silk (Avant-Shamanistic Trance Jazz) | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Humming Bird Records

< Previous
Lemme Tell Ya 'Bout Desmond

Next >
Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival

Comments

About Opeye

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

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.