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Tributaries

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Jack Cooper - Guitar

Label: Astral Spirits
Released: 2021
Views: 638

Tracks

Wicken; Debden.

Personnel

Jack Cooper - Guitar

guitar

Jeff Tobias

saxophone

Album Description

Jack Cooper may be more well known outside of the improv/jazz scene as the songwriter behind such luminary bands as Ultimate Painting & Modern Nature. Jeff Tobias will likely be a bit more familiar to some of you as a member of Sunwatchers, among his other varied solo and collaborative works. Tobias has been a member of Cooper's Modern Nature band since their formation in 2019 and the musical bond between Cooper & Tobias has become nearly telepathic and duly evidenced here on their first duo release Tributaries.

Tributaries features two side-long tracks that were created from systems or tone-rows by Cooper and then used as the templates to improvise from, creating the finished score. Together Cooper and Tobias then devised methods and approaches for Tobias' interpretation, allowing for a push-and-pull between melodic unison; rhythmic unity with harmonic improvisation.

The music feels incredibly conversational, neither overly composed or overly improvisational. The systems within feel as if they could go on forever in an infinite loop - and many times I personally find myself listening to the entire album back to back to back in such a manner. Tributaries also takes Cooper's trademark use of space and pacing (go listen to those Ultimate Painting and Modern Nature albums, seriously) and is used to beautiful effect throughout. Tobias plays the perfect foil to Cooper's guitar playing, highlighting the compositions and sitting next to Cooper's guitar (sonically) without overpowering.

Sitting somewhere between Tom Johnson's Rational Melodies, the non-tonal works of Morton Feldman or Jürg Frey with less of a modern classical/wandelweiser bent, Tributaries stands as a bold new statement in the discography and work of Cooper & Tobias. Cooper describes the aim as "melodic collectivism" and Tributaries accomplishes that with aplomb.

Review

• Tributaries by Gareth Thompson

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Instrument: Guitar

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Tributaries

Astral Spirits
2021

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