Jeremiah Cymerman: Body of Light

Body Of Light by clarinetist and composer Jeremiah Cymerman is an album, a collection of recordings that make up a complete work. Cymerman's underlying message here is for the listener to consume these 42 minutes of sound not as four individual tracks but as one whole. Those who are familiar with his music, such as Systema Munditotius, Vol 1 (5049 Records, 2020) and Decay of the Angel (5049 Records, 2018), will know that he works in complete blocks.

Body Of Light follows the 2021 releases A Horizon Made Of Canvas (Astral Spirits), Citadels And Sanctuaries (5049 Records) and Systema Munditotius, Vol 1 (5049 Records). Cymerman opens the affair solo, with reverberating clarinet on "Of The Body Subtle" performed over waves of harmonium-like electronics. This sets the tone for the remaining tracks where he adds more synths, bass and percussion on "Tongue Of Fire" and eventually adds the musicians Mike Pride, Christopher Hoffman, Toby Driver and Zachary Paul.

Cymerman's strength in composing is doubled by his mastery of studio engineering. As a solo artist he can add and manipulate sound postproduction to realize his distinct vision. In other words, his talent is the ability to actualize his vision with sound. The general theme presented in the first three tracks is a steady building or escalation. Spectral sounds of synthesizers, Hoffman's cello and Driver's guitar on "Pure Realm," plus Pride's percussion feed this revolving and building wheel of sound. By the time we get to the finale and title track, Cymerman has added Paul's violin to accompany Pride's drumming. He takes up his clarinet to deliver a lovely and haunting gentle melody. In the end, the sum here is greater than its parts, by way of an in-depth attention to all the electroacoustic bits and bytes.