Burkhard Beins, John Butcher, Werner Dafeldecker: Induction

To mark John Butcher's 65th birthday in 2019, a series of concerts were held (mostly in Berlin) which produced five well-appointed limited LP editions of 300 from the folks at Ni Vu Ni Connu. The varied albums include Induction, a trio with Burkhard Beins and Werner Dafeldecker, La Pierre Tachée, a duo with Sophie Agnel, Shaped & Chased, a trio with Thomas Lehn and Gino Robair, Lamenti Dall'infinito, a quartet with Liz Allbee, Ignaz Schick and Marta Zapparoli, and the trio Glints, with Magda Mayas and Tony Buck.

The first of the performances was recorded on June 18 and 19th in Leipzig and Berlin respectively with percussionist Burkhard Beins and double bassist Werner Dafeldecker. The three have recorded in various lineups in the group Polwechsel. With Induction, the three stick to acoustic music, and free improvisation. They are familiar working partners, and this is evident in their tempered music-making. The longest piece, at twenty minutes, "Circulation" opens with a cymbal strike before breathy notes are blown and Dafeldecker pulls his bow across his resonating bass. The trio intentionally keep to a deliberate and unhurried pace, Butcher occasionally dropping in barking and sputtering notes, Beins ringing bells, and Dafeldecker bouncing his bow against strings. The velocity that eventually materializes comes about as the three (almost) become one—that is, they have determined a direction, chosen a proper fuel, and ignited their collective fuel.

The three remaining shortish tracks feature Butcher's long tones and chirping bird calls, Dafeldecker's reverberating tones, and Beins' echoing cymbals and various combinations of tiny and chunky drums. While the music was created in performance spaces, it has the definite feel of Butcher's site-specific outings.