The Squid's Ear
Writing about improvised, contemporary, experimental and unusual music,
following the activities of Squidco...
  •  •  •     Join Our Mailing List!



The Squid's Ear




Heard In

Reviews of artist releases:
cd's, books, magazines, &c.


  Heather Frasch / Ryoko Akama 
  Linking
  (Ftarri / Meenna) 


  
   review by Brian Olewnick
  2022-03-22
Heather Frasch / Ryoko Akama: Linking (Ftarri / Meenna)

This release contains three tracks: two takes of Frasch's 'a moment in my day', performed by Brice Catherine (cello, objects), Eleanor Cully (voice, objects) and Ryoko Akama (organ, objects) and a lengthy reading of Akama's 'for heather's day', realized by Frasch (field recordings, objects, electronics). The pieces were originally text compositions, one by each composer sent to the other for realization. Both are wonderful.

The Frasch works, recorded by Akama, evince an immediate sense of embeddedness, the instruments creating a low, rough and grainy drone inside an active space filled with an airy hum and soft rustles and taps. Soon, the organ tones become paler, almost translucent, as the other aspects acquire a scrabbling, nervous character, imparting a sense of slowly wandering through an eerie landscape. The density of the sound fluctuates throughout, often settling into a spare, though tonal, area, a cello plucking gently, an electronic tone wafting alongside, softly spoken words. The second take of the piece has a bit more sonic immediacy, the strings sharper, the voice perhaps more hesitant and anxious. The effect is different, more tense, but just as striking.

'a moment in my day' plunges the listener directly into a sonically rich environment, full of train track sounds, very much a three-dimensional space. The sounds attenuate into high-pitched, sine-like tones and thin, wooden clicks, before thickening once more into a mechanical sounding sphere, quite dense, immersive and endlessly fascinating. This ebb and flow continues throughout the 40-minute work, maintaining a certain sameness of environs while always introducing subtly new elements and combinations of sound. Frasch pieced together this realization of Akama's score from several recordings; the integration is masterfully constructed. There's a great tensile strength in the work, a strong sense of place and acute observation.

An excellent, imaginative and deep recording.







Comments and Feedback:



More Recent Reviews, Articles, and Interviews @ The Squid's Ear...


The Squid's Ear presents
reviews about releases
sold at Squidco.com
written by
independent writers.

Squidco

Recent Selections @ Squidco:


The Stateless Trio:
In the Sunrise of
Some Other World
(Squid Note Records)



Chris Potter (
feat Bill Frisell):
Alive With
Ghosts Today
(Edition Records)



Jaki Byard:
The Classic 1960s Albums
[4 CDs]
(Enlightenment)



Mnemonist Orchestra:
Mnemonist Orchestra
(Klanggalerie)



Rabbit Rabbit Radio (
Carla Kihlstedt/
Matthias Bossi):
Volume 4:
The Animal I Am
(Klanggalerie)



Lenny Bruce:
Comedy & Controversy:
The Original Albums
1958-61
[2 CDs]
(Acrobat)



Satoko Fujii
Orchestra Kobe:
After the Storm
(Libra)



Henry Grimes/
Marzette Watts (
w/ Robinson/
Lancaster/
Sharrock/
Thornton/
Berger/
Moses &c):
The Call
(ALAY)



John Tilbury:
At Home
[4 CDs]
(Another Timbre)



Evan Parker/
John Zorn:
Those Landings
(Tzadik)



Tres Hongos (
Wick/
Riordan/
Rosaly):
More Chips
(Relative Pitch)



Gebhard Ullmann/
Uwe Oberg/
Joe Fonda/
Dieter Ulrich:
New Conference Call
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)



James Lewis Brandon Quartet (
Lewis/
Ortiz/
Jones/
Taylor):
Omni
(Intakt)



OM (
Leimgruber/
Doran/
Burri/
Hemingway/
Buck):
Sudpol
(Intakt)



Sergio Armaroli Quintet (
w/ Sharp/
Piccolo/
Edwards/
Sanders):
Follow A
Very Heavy Person,
First Visit
(ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)



Quatuor Bozzini:
Jurg Frey: String Quartets
(Collection QB)



Ryan Scott:
21st-Century
Canadian Snare Drum
[2 CDs]
(Collection QB)



Samuel Blaser Quartet:
Rosina
(Blaser Music)



Samuel Blaser Quartet:
Rosina
[CASSETTE + DOWNLOAD]
(Blaser Music)



TRAC (
Teddy Ryles/
Alexander Cooper):
Heavy Nano
Ream Aria
[2 CDs]
(Bu Lang Tribute Cake)







Squidco
Click here to
advertise with
The Squid's Ear






The Squid's Ear pays its writers.
Interested in becoming a reviewer?




The Squid's Ear is the companion magazine to the online music shop Squidco !


  Copyright © Squidco. All rights reserved. Trademarks. (114280)