CADENCE - Michael Rosenstein

Concert Moves

It is just over 30 years now since the formation of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and the genesis of the British free-improvisation scene. Thirty years might be just about long enough to have developed the notion of a tradition. Happily, musicians like these three are making sure that, unlike so many others, this tradition remains very much alive and continues to develop. Russell, Butcher and Durrant, have performed since 1984, sometimes with the addition of Radu Malfatti and Paul Lovens, and have recorded twice on their self-formed Acta label. This recording is culled from two live performances from the early 90s, expertly capturing the superb interplay of spontaneous, collective improvisation at its best.

The three have developed a keenly tuned ensemble approach to collective improvisation with lines so intricately intertwined that the music comes across as a unified voice.
Russell shows a clear debt to Derek Bailey but never comes across as merely derivative. Playing acoustic guitar, his sharp percussive attack crackles and pops like a dry log tossed into a blazing fire. Butcher is a masterful reed player, having synthesized a full range of extended techniques into an organic, personal voice. Breathy, hushed tones and the sound of pattering pads slowly build and give way to skirling sheets of molten overtones.
Durrant seems to distill the violin down to its elemental sounds, from warm woody notes to scratched and scraped strings to skittering harmonics. Their improvisations unfold with telepathic clarity, contrasting spare linear interplay and densely abstract ensemble textures imbued with a chamber-like intimacy. This is a masterful release of challenging collective free improvisation at its thorniest. Long live the tradition!