J.B. Floyd's "transporting transmittance" is not an album that one who is not already infatuated with Floyd would listen to repeatedly. Although Floyd shows off a variety of musical styles in these original compositions, none stand out as being extraordinary.
With the first piece, "A Transporting Transmittance for Transverse Flute and Disklavier," J.B. Floyd tries to capture the feeling of improvisation, which in itself offends the word's definition. While the piece is complex and fluid, it sounds calculated and somewhat forced, and doesn't exhibit the intrigue and excitement of improvisation. Disregarding Floyd's intent, however, it's a fine piece, and demonstrates Floyd's flair for composing conversations between two solo instruments.
"From - A Hundred Little 3-D Pictures" is a three-part composition based on poems by Daniel Moore. It takes a fan of dramatic spoken word and Thomas Buckner's baritone voice to appreciate this piece, though the keyboard parts are well-placed and performed. Sporadically throughout the piece, Floyd shows a knack for conversational structure. The vocals, however, are melodramatic and difficult to listen to after the first part.
With this album, Floyd tends to keep his audience at a distance. This quality is especially evident in "Improvisations on Robert Ashley's 'eL/Aficionado' For Disklavier," which sounds more like the score to a nature documentary than interesting solo works that merit listening on their own. Floyd explores an unusual concept by replacing the vocals in Robert Ashley's opera with keyboard improvisations, but this two-part composition simply does not stand well on its own.
The disc concludes with "Solos and Sequences II," which is probably the most enjoyable, though not necessarily original, composition on this album. This expressive piece reflects Floyd's passion for the keyboard, though it can sound random, with a tendency towards the chaotic.
This album may appeal to those already familiar with Floyd, and perhaps those who have a penchant for dramatic vocals. However, if you're looking for an original album that you'll enjoy over and over again, you may want to give this one a miss.
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