Matt Bauder/Jason Ajemin: Object 3

The third installment in Locust Music’s Object series, recordings inspired by selected objects, finds saxophonist Matt Bauder and bassist Jason Ajemian contemplating what looks like some sort of computer disc drive. But does it really matter? Prior efforts were focused on bowling balls and brillo pads. Not quite stuff found in Emily Dickinson's house.

The single 31-minute track was made in down state Illinois on a summer’s night. The pair play a continuous dirge over the sounds of crickets in the yard. Tenor, bowed bass, and a bit of overdubbed mix make for a contemplative session that is as relaxed as a night when the electricity fails and you are left to wander out-of-doors to view the stars.

Saxophonist Matt Bauder can be found in bands formed by Anthony Braxton, Scott Rosenberg, and Jeff Parker; he released Weary Already of the Way in 2003 on 482 Music. Jason Ajemian’s bass can be heard in Triage, with saxophonist Dave Rempis and drummer Tim Daisy, and with the folk deconstruct band Born Heller.

The duo recording, actually a big band if you count the crickets—you have to count the crickets (not the Buddy Holly band)—has been in continual rotation in my CD player. Bauder and Ajemian cast a spell-inducing sound. They apply continual tones that naturally blend with the brushwork the crickets supply as white noise.

Kind of a Zen thing that children inherently understand.