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Mats Gustafsson and David Stackenas Blues
Mats Gustafsson, bari sax; David Stackenas, guitar.
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I refuse to join the countless other reviewers that have pondered what links this music to the American Blues People referenced in the track titles, or what doesn’t! While fascinating grist for the thought mill, I’ll defer to the participants on this who, still alive and active, can provide more concision and “authenticity” than I would ever attempt. As it stands, these two veterans of gloriously whimsical improv have already made their statement, and it is loads of fun. In whatever context, they make the ensemble sound bigger through the huge arsenal of timbres they elicit from seemingly conventional instruments. Only sample the opening of “Rotten Herring Blues” to hear what sounds like Stackenas sandblasting a piano and Gustafsson unable to keep his motorcycle running smoothly. Yet, when the shrill overtones abate, and Gustafsson begins to emit some of his trademark overtones, the industrosplatter takes on a sheen of eerie beauty. By contrast, “Bumblebee Blues” resembles nothing so much as a modified bowl of rice crispies, largely courtesy of Stackenas, who even manages to throw a couple old-fashioned blues licks in for good measure, but I’m not going there! Besides, that shouting from Gustafsson is far from a field holler, resembling more closely a bit of martial arts-induced exhortation. Then, there is the disc’s opening gesture, an extraordinary exploration of a fifth that slowly fragments into its component harmonics, those leading to related pitches as the two musicians simply breathe tones, exemplifying the weird synchronicities only improvised music can foster. It’s one of many transcendental moments on a disc that is hilarious and gorgeous by turn, another jewel in Atavistic’s crown.
Atavistic records:
marc medwin |