Erb / Mayas / Hemingway: Phyla music

The improvisational music captured on Phyla Music, a live recording featuring Christoph Erb (reeds), Magda Mayas (clavinet), and Gerry Hemingway (percussion), documents an evening of profound sonic exploration at The Wurm Club club in Basel. This specific venue, known for its conducive acoustic environment, appears to have inspired the ensemble to reach a heightened state of collective invention.

The anchor of the release is the sprawling, 47-minute titled "Phyla music" and the two and one-half minute "Phyla music (Excerpt)." It is not merely a jam session; it is a meticulously documented journey through texture and density. Erb, employing soprano and tenor saxophones avoids conventional melody. He instead focuses on the breath and the column of air, producing multiphonics and key clicks that establish a tense, atmospheric landscape, complete with emulated sounds of nature in spots. This approach complements the work of Mayas, who treats the clavinet as a resonant, industrialized soundboard. It is remarkable how the artist resists the temptation of volume, instead emphasizing timbral shading and the delicate architecture of noise.

The rhythmic backbone, provided by Hemingway, is equally unconventional. The percussionist moves far beyond timekeeping, engaging the kit as a source of diverse metallic and wooden utterances along with his deployment of controlled feedback.  The listener may perceive the largely dynamic ebb and flow not as a linear narrative but as an organic development, where quietude and silence are frequently as important as articulation and the frenzied episodes they create. The density of the interaction is often overwhelming, yet there is a distinct clarity within the chaos. The musicians are navigating complex sonic territory with shared purpose.

The shorter work begins with Mayas employing arco techniques across the lower register strings, establishing a deep, humming resonance. Erb enters with a series of abbreviated, high-register squeaks and squalls that introduce urgency. The piece moves quickly toward a climactic convergence, culminating in a sudden, unified cessation of sound. It is a powerful exercise in compression, demonstrating that the trio is equally capable of executing abrupt, focused gestures as they are sustained, evolutionary narratives.

Phyla Music is a noteworthy document for anyone interested in the outer boundaries of contemporary improvised music. It confirms the telepathic connection shared by Erb, Mayas, and Hemingway, and it stands as a testament to the rigorous, uncompromising environment of The Wurm club.

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