Laura Altman: Holy Trinity

The Australian clarinetist Laura Altman is an innovative artist.  Her third solo release is also her first, full-length, thematically unified one.  It was recorded at the Holy Trinity Church in York. and is named after the venue.  On it, Altman weaves haunting improvisations that resonate against a serene ambiance that she peppers with the sparse clutter of small objects.

The "Opening Out" starts the disc in an introspective musing with reverberating lines.  Made up of repeating motifs, the tune slowly evolves in gentle sonic waves.  Altman enhances the sound of her clarinet with speakers and tapes, imbuing her extemporizations with a wistful soulfulness.  This is heard the clearest on "Invocation."  On this short yet poignant companion to its predecessor, Altman distills the essence of her music into 2 minutes and change.

These ideas and style continue throughout all six pieces.  Even though they may have been recorded on different days, the conceptual unity makes them part of a single suite.  This does not mean that the entire session is a monolith.  There are nuances of both mood and emotion.  "A Call to Water (Helmsman)" for instance, has an undercurrent of subtle urgency and angst. The dramatic "The Song That I Came To Sing" opens with softly wailing lines that float over the bouncy ping pong ball-like sounds.  Altman also includes occasional percussive beats to further ground the ethereal melody.

True to its name, "Threshold Poetry" features overdubbed lyrical clarinet refrains that Altman underscores with her voice.  She blends her wordless vocals with the woodwind's warm, dense tones to create a shimmering, abstract soundscape.  Meanwhile, "Turning In" is the perfect conclusion for this spiritual and thought-provoking album.  Its construct is loose and free-flowing like the other tracks. There is, however, an eastern mysticism that marks its mellifluous core.  The undulating phrases fade into a Zen quietude.

Enough analysis, though.  The music on Holy Trinity is the kind that needs to be experienced, not necessarily deconstructed.  With it, Altman has proven herself to be a mature and imaginative improviser and performer, whetting the appetite for more additions to her body of work.