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Faith Brackenbury / Tony Bianco: Wayward Mystic-Improvisations inspired by the music of St.Hildegard von Bingen
ByBrackenbury invokes a wide range of influences, touching on the liturgical tradition and the Irish fiddle canon, as well as the questing investigations of John Coltrane. Consequently her violin soars in melodic variations, interrogates insistent motifs, and skitters and scrapes. Bianco's fluttering accompaniment abstains from directness. He uses his drum kit to create a hypnotic drone from continual rolls and intermittent cymbal and snare punctuation, like the rumble of the distant ocean. He has furnished a similar approach with saxophonist Paul Dunmall, on Spirits Past And Future (Duns, 2008), accentuating a timeless searching quality.
At best, the divine tunes and free-floating uplift engender a beautiful and enduring experience in which the length of the tracks encourages the development of a trance-like state for player and listener alike. In particular, Brackenbury's ceaseless stream of lyric extemporizations and Bianco's gently pulsing wall of sound on "Hymn Of Hildegard" are sublime. On three of the four numbers titled after von Bingen's works, Brackenbury sings the composer's ethereal melodies to launch the ensuing duet. She also supplements the natural tone of her instrument with effects pedals, looping and echoing on "O Quam Mirabilis" where the organ-like swells are reminiscent of the folk song "As She Moved Through The Fair." While on the final "O Cruor Sanguinis" she conjures a near metal riff and her wah-wahed violin lends a distinctly rocky air.
Bianco provides further variety through overdubbing piano on "Placement And Resolve" and a fast walking bass line, perhaps keyboard derived, on "Cherubim's Sword." However such additions tend to obscure rather than enhance. Certainly the best of the joint improvs is the more abstract and conversational "Grace," the longest piece at 26-minutes. Here, Brackenbury at times recalls Billy Bang's irrepressible bounce until she moves into thorny, less consonant bowing and percussive plucking, while Bianco sets his initial bursts amid silence, before laying down a characteristic chattering snare commentary.
While the second disc is perhaps less successful, the first is often transcendental. Brackenbury and Bianco forthrightly stake their claim to a place in a select gathering.
Track Listing
Hymn of Hildegard O Fronden Virga O Quam Mirabilis Grace Placement and Resolve O Pastor Animarum Cherubim's Sword O Cruor Sanguinis
Personnel
Faith Heleene Brackenbury
violinTony Bianco
drumsAdditional Instrumentation
vocals, effects pedals, percussion,keyboards
Album information
Title: Wayward Mystic-Improvisations inspired by the music of St.Hildegard von Bingen | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Discus Music
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About Faith Heleene Brackenbury
Instrument: Violin
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