Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Iskra 1903: Chapter Two: 1981-3

149

Iskra 1903: Chapter Two: 1981-3

By

View read count
Iskra 1903: Chapter Two: 1981-3
Some titles are more apt than others. Iskra 1903 has spanned the decades as a working group, and this edition was recorded at gigs back in the early 1980s. Dates, however, seem irrelevant, as this music is essentially unbounded by the constraints of both time and place. The titular Chapter Two refers practically to the revision of the group where violinist Philipp Wachsmann stepped in to replace departed guitarist Derek Bailey.

Barry Guy, Paul Rutherford and Wachsmann all utilise electronics as a means for augmenting their instrumental vocabularies. This has the effect of lending the music an often unworldly air. It's particularly apparent on "Panshanton," on the first disc of this three-disc set, where Rutherford's trombone takes a kind of lead in the opening passage, though his work is augmented by a sparse backdrop of electronics and augmented technique that paradoxically both complements and usurps it.

When Evan Parker brings his tenor sax to "Epis," it has the effect of underlining how adaptable the group identity is. It also underlines how rewarding a pastime deep listening can be both for the musicians involved—and for the listener fortunate enough to be exposed to this music. The highlighting of individual contributions seems somehow surplus to any discussion of this music. Throughout this set, the level of group dynamics and interplay is both deep and intricate, and as such, it's the music's most important factor.

What's clear on "Veprol," which opens the second disc, is that this is a trio of master improvisers, each supremely alert to the input of the others and able to respond to it with intelligence, depth of knowledge and musical personality.

On "Emingha" it's also obvious that the skilled use of extended technique, manifesting itself in particular in Guy's use of his bass almost as a percussion instrument, further supplements the group's tonal and timbral range. And while Wachsmann is comparatively economical in his use of such an approach, his lines are supremely puckish and rich with the impression that he's somehow working the music's margins in a way that's always compelling.

As with a group like the Schlippenbach Trio, recordings like this can quite profoundly capture moments in time for the unit at play. Both groups are in essence works in progress, and such is the spontaneous nature of the form in which they both operate that their longevity seems nearly infinite.

Track Listing

CD1: Dieptaur; Phelgstar; Panshanton. CD2: Veprol; Eiverl; Emingha; Marib. CD3: Stoleri; Vendia; Epis.

Personnel

Paul Rutherford: trombone, electronics, tambourine, euphonium (CD1:2); Philipp Wachsmann: violin, electronics; Barry Guy: bass, electronics. Evan Parker: tenor saxophone (CD3:3).

Album information

Title: Chapter Two: 1981-3 | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Emanem

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About 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 make 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.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves 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

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

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

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.