Helen Bledsoe

Bystrov/Bledsoe/Lapin: Triologue

by Glenn Astarita
August 30, 2013

American flautist and educator Helen Bledsoe resides in Cologne, Germany, and is a prominent improviser on the global circuit. She aligns with Russians, pianist Alexey Lapin and clarinetist Vlady Bystrov, for a soundscape that defies stringent categorizations but touches on avant-Chamber, free-jazz, and is embedded in dense montages, as they explore numerous possibilities and outcomes. Recorded in St. Petersburg, Russia, the trio's abstract manifestations are shadowed with melodic mini-themes and flirtatious exchanges via the omnipresent improvisational component. The ...