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Emily Hay: Like Minds

By Jim Santella
March 3, 2005
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The kind of creative improvised music sponsored by pfMentum leaves plenty of room for interpretation. What do you feel when you sit and enjoy an afternoon of avant-garde music? Does it lift you spiritually? Does it move your bones in a rhythmic parade? Do you feel uplifted, or blue? It's all a matter of personal interpretation.

Veteran flutist Emily Hay gives you much to ponder. All of her improvisations lead to a positive outcome. By its very nature, the flute demands an uplifting quality.

Recorded at various Southern California performances over the past ten years, these twelve tracks feature different artists accompanying Hay, who pursues flute melodies that she dresses up with unique vocalizations. As a wind-blown instrument, the flute relies on the human voice as much as it does on mechanics. Hay takes advantage of this quality by wailing and moaning expressively as a singer who relies upon tones instead of lyrics. Like a folk singer or traditional blues belter, she lets her voice soar with passion. It works.

'?Like Minds'? merges piccolo, trombone and violin with the voices of three creative artists. Hay, Ronit Kirghman and Kurt Heyl improvise with energy and a deep passion for their sport. Free to explore and to say whatever is on their minds, the three musicians use wordless shouts and melodic snippets to frame their conceptions. The album brings many like minds together for these improvised sessions, leaving interpretation to the listener.

Hay co-hosts the alternative college music radio program "Trilogy'? on KXLU 88.9 FM, transmitted from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The station can be heard online with their "not one commercial ever'? motto carrying its due message far and wide.

Track Listing

Call to Unarm; Liturgy of Sound; A Year and Two Weeks; Boiled Cadillac; Crooked Hopscotch; We Are; Like Minds; Wha' Bout; Spar; Waiting for Sara; Hibiki; Swamp Moss.

Personnel

Emily Hay- flute, alto flute, piccolo, voice; Wayne Peet- piano; Lisle Ellis- electronics, bass; Steuart Liebig- bass; Rich West- drums; Brad Dutz- percussion, synth, melodica; Joe Berardi, Marcos Fernandes- percussion; Michael Whitmore- guitar; Ronit Kirchman- violin, voice; Michael Intriere- cello; Kurt Heyl- trombone, voice; Sara Schoenbeck- bassoon.

Album information

Title: Like Minds | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: pfMentum

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