Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Stellari String Quartet: Vulcan

5

Stellari String Quartet: Vulcan

By

View read count
Stellari String Quartet: Vulcan
Despite the years that have elapsed since Stellari String Quartet's first album, Gocce Stellari (Emanem, 2009), right from the opening notes of this follow-up, Vulcan, there is not a shadow of a doubt that it is by the same group, with the same members and ethos. The combination of Philipp Wachsmann's violin, Charlotte Hug's viola, Marcio Mattos' cello and John Edwards' double bass is uniquely different to any other string quartet, as is its use of free improvisation. As Emanem proprietor Martin Davidson says in his sleeve note, "If there were stars in the world of free improvisation, then the members of this quartet would surely be among them—four very distinctive and fluent musicians, who also have the talent to work together to produce a fifth distinctive and fluent entity, namely an improvising string quartet. "

In his own sleeve note, Wachsmann chooses to build bridges with conventional string quartets, not emphasize their differences to this quartet: "Vulcan, an acoustic quartet, using improvisation processes, is contributing to the treasure trove of 'String Quartet' compositions, repertoire, performances and quartets. The medium is particularly flexible, human and personal." Although they come from different places—the four were born in Brazil (Mattos), England (Edwards), Switzerland (Hug) and Uganda (Wachsmann)—and cultural backgrounds, their interactions do not particularly reflect these factors so much as the years that they have each spent on the improv scene and the quick-witted fluency they have developed as a result.

The album's eleven tracks—ranging in length from just over two minutes to almost nine-and-a-half, a total of fifty-six minutes—were recorded by Wachsmann in 2016 at two London venues, St Mary's Church Stoke Newington and Iklectik Arts Lab. The overwhelming impression the music presents is of a group of four equals which is not led or dominated by any one of the four. Throughout, all four are playing for the vast majority of the time. The different pitches of the four instruments mean that any one of them can be picked out and heard clearly. However, rather than adopting that listening strategy, it is far more satisfying to listen to all four at once and appreciate the endless flow of ideas, stimuli and responses that passes between them. Anyone who enjoyed Gocce Stellari, and has been waiting a decade for its sequel, should be more than happy with Vulcan, while anyone who starts with this album is likely to chase up the older release. Compelling improv.

Track Listing

Mauna Kea; Pulvermaar; Yasur; Kilauea; Popocatépetl; Erebus; Tujle; Bardarbunga; Batu Tara; Dallol; Ambrym.

Personnel

Philipp Wachsmann: violin; Charlotte Hug: viola; Marcio Mattos: cello; John Edwards: double bass.

Album information

Title: Vulcan | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Emanem

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.