Like Minds

Emily Hay

 flute, alto flute, voice, piccolo

Live improves collected over several years make up this issue. Hay pulls us onboard her distinct caravan of floating atmospherics and on-the-spot rituals. I like them when they’re spacey (“Call to Unarm”), when they’re goofy (“A Year and Two Weeks”), even when they are kinda ECM neoclassical (“Boiled Cadillac”). In “Wha Bout” she explores the ritual substrata that sounds like it might underpin all traditional cultures, i.e. she goes into Meredith Monk territory. Yet she makes music with her own stamp. That strata’s got room for everybody. All her cohorts are recommendable. Let me just mention, however, Michael Whitmore on guitar and Brad Dutz on synthesizer, melodica and percussion. Hay is a top drawer improviser and she’s very well accompanied here.

 pf Mentum CD022

 Richard Grooms