Reviews

 

Magnetic River was recorded in April 2011. Across five tracks of improvised music, lasting some forty-four minutes altogether, it combines O'Sullivan, Soloveitzik and Wigens in a sextet with Athens-born pianist (and Aural Terrains proprietor) Thanos Chrysakis, tenor saxophonist Sébastien Branche, and Spanish alto saxophonist Artur Vidal. That line-up of four reed instruments plus electric guitar and piano may raise certain expectations about the music on offer here; if so, the actual music will probably give the lie to such expectations. The most prominent characteristics of the music played at the workshop are its restraint, instruments often being used to produce atypical sounds, the use of electronics and the focus on interaction between players—all of which are clearly in evidence here.

The mood of the album is set right from the start of the first track, entitled "I"; the players combine small sounds and gestures into a subdued, continually-evolving soundscape in which it is difficult to ascribe individual contributions. So, occasional percussive sounds are most likely to have been produced by the sax players. Rather than conventional piano, Chrysakis favours inside piano, laptop or electronics, frequently providing a background wash of sound behind the recognisable instrumental tones. Individual contributions are short-lived and overlap with others in an effective collective piece.

After the all-too-brief and beautifully gentle "II," the longest track, "III," features the four reeds over an electronic backing—possibly shortwave radio, judging by the sound quality. Following an introductory passage of overlapping short staccato sounds, the reeds gradually introduce longer, mellower notes which combine with the shorter ones into a rich, rhythmically complex piece that makes satisfying listening. Another brief and subtle piece precedes the final track "V" which is replete with recognisable instrumental sounds, not least because Chrysakis plays piano. The six fit together as if they regularly play with each other and, despite its nine-minute duration, the piece flies by and seems to finish too soon, leaving no option but to repeat it again. Yes, music this good demands to be heard over and over.

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John Eyles — All About Jazz — 1.2.2013

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Magnetic River is an exercise in a highly reserved and demanding form of collective, free improvisation, where silence is as important as any other sound and any sound is welcomed. The group of musicians—three sax players, clarinetist, guitarist, pianist and laptop/electronics player Thanos Chrysakis, also the head of the label—was recorded n April 2011. 

The first improvisation is slow and patient. All the musicians stress minimal and sustained sonic gestures and create a fragile, almost transparent, enigmatic sonic envelope. These gestures deliberately challenge the conventional sonic spectrum of all the instruments, undermine any conventional structure, and aim to create new ambiance that blurs any attempt to identify the individual contributions or personal temperament. After the brief, quiet second improvisation, the third and longest one is 17 minutes and features more recognizable reed sounds, atmospheric, and abrupt ones, colliding with delicate, distant radio sounds. The interplay is still minimal and reserved, but more open to rhythmic variations, still, not in any structured form. 

Suddenly, after the brief fourth improvisation, the fifth improvisation blossoms into a cinematic soundscape with repeated sonic gestures. All still performed in the same kind of subtle interplay, but the reed players allow themselves to indulge with much more energetic bursts of sounds, while the gentle touches of the piano keys are recognized as such and the electronic background is less threatening. 

A demanding and haunting sonic experience.

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Eyal Hareuveni — All About Jazz —October 6, 2013

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Magnetic River – du groupe formé de Sébastien Branche et Tom Soloveitzik (saxophones ténor), Thanos Chrysakis (laptop, electronics, piano), James O’Sullivan (guitare), Artur Vidal (alto saxophone) et Jerry Wigens (clarinette) – est ce genre de musique improvisée que l’on dirait écrite sur du papier millimétré, où les queues des notes n’en finissent pas de faire des lignes et des graphiques. Mais de la feuille les dessins parviennent à se libérer. 

Avec eux, arrivent jusqu’à nous des mélopées d’instruments que l’on reconnaît rarement, ou plutôt de leur image que renverraient des miroirs déformants. Des bourdonnements, des résonances, des vibrations, des sons parallèles et des sons diffus / informes / multiformes, viennent tous au secours du minimalisme des liens qui l’attachent à sa trop sévère définition : ici abstrait, là mélodique, là rythmique et là languissant. D'impressionnants graphiques dessinés sur du papier transparent.

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Héctor Cabrero, Le son du grisli - December 2012

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Aténský skladatel a zvukový experimentátor Thanos Chrysakis si před pěti lety založil vydavatelství Aural Terrains jako základnu pro výzkumy na pomezí kompozice a improvizace, elektroniky a nestandardních způsobů hry na akustické nástroje. Letošní CD Syneuma, na němž se k Chrysakisovi připojili James O'Sullivan a Jerry Wigens, jsme již recenzovali. Na albu Magnetic River se k nim připojili ještě Sébastien Branche, Tom Soloveitzik a Artur Vidal. Obsazení se třemi saxofony (Branche, Soloveitzik, Vidal) a klarinety (Wigens), klavírem hraným zvenku i zevnitř, s elektronikou a kytarou nabízí nepřeberné zvukové možnosti. A velkým kladem nahrávky je, jak se přitom všichni zúčastnění dokáží držet zpátky. Chrysakis sám tu tentokrát není v roli skladatele, ale jen členem v kolektivu improvizátorů, v jedné z pěti bezejmenných částí si dokonce dopřeje pauzu.

Témbry saxofonů a klarinetů jsou tu dominantní, ovšem přesně určit zdroj zvuku je občas problém, stejně jako odpověď na otázku, jak moc intervenuje Chrysakisova elektronika. Osamělý závan vnějšího světa přináší krátký vstup nesrozumitelného hlasu (snad z televize), nápadnější efekty nikde růžky nevystrkují. Když se všichni hráči ztiší a vyluzují sotva slyšitelné šelesty, rozdíly mezi zvuky nástrojů se zmenšují, jako bychom porovnávali padesát odstínů šedi. Právě přesuny mezi sférami zvuků již skoro neslyšitelných a zvuků znělých je jednou důležitou osou celé nahrávky. Tou druhou jsou přechody mezi statickými plochami, v nichž se hlasy potkávají v někdy až překvapivě libých a harmonických souzvucích, často spojených s pravidelným rytmickým podkladem jakéhosi škrábání, chrastění, ťukání, a oblastmi rozpadu a chaosu, kde na sebe zvuky poštěkávají, pravidelnost a plynulost se ztrácí, klid je zneklidněn. Každá z částí opíše mezi těmito póly křivku a jedna přechází téměř nepostřehnutelně v druhou. Mezi sytostí a vybledáváním, klidem a jeho rozkladem utečou necelé tři čtvrtě hodiny velice rychle a s každým dalším poslechem lze odhalovat nové a nové detaily.

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Matěj Kratochvíl, His Voice Magazine, 14.01.2013

 

Publié en même temps que Syneuma, Magnetic River est une suite d'improvisations pour six musiciens qui m'a déjà beaucoup plus enthousiasmé. Le trio précédent - Thanos Chrysakis (ordinateur, électronique et piano), James O'Sullivan (guitare), Jerry Wigens (clarinettes) - est toujours présent et accompagné de trois saxophonistes: Artur Vidal (saxophone alto), Sébastien Branche (saxophone ténor) et Tom Soloveitzik (saxophone ténor). J'ai déjà chroniqué les trois premiers musiciens, mais je ne connais pas le saxophoniste israélien Soloveitzik, tandis que Vidal et Branche font partie de l'excellent duo Relentless, un groupe très axé sur l'acoustique de l'environnement et les résonances exceptionnelles.

Sur Magnetic River, ce sont bien les saxos - et la clarinette de Wigens - qui semblent être la base de chaque improvisation. Une nappe de vents est le fondement sur laquelle chaque musicien va s'intégrer à la texture collective. Car l'improvisation ici est plutôt axée sur le son collectif et les textures où chaque instrument est assimilé et mélangé plus que sur la personnalité du son. Ceci-dit, il ne s'agit pas que d'un bourdon ou de flux continus, car - à commencer par l'alto de Vidal - régulièrement, un instrument se détache, une note incisive et forte surgit, jusqu'à la dernière piste où tous les instruments se détachent pour une improvisation collective plus chaotique. Oui, une grande importance est accordée aux textures et à l'entremêlement des timbres, mais aussi une grande attention aux reliefs et aux ponctuations permet à la musique de ne jamais s'embourber dans un bourdon minimaliste facile. Ces cinq pièces parviennent ainsi à retenir l'attention au-delà des micro-variations qu'elles présentent, il y a tout un jeu de tension produit par les ponctuations et les changements brusques de variations. En plus d'une production de textures assez singulières et aventureuses. 

Un sextet de musiciens jeunes et moins jeunes, qui nous offrent une musique chaleureuse, dense, riche, et créative.

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Julien Héraud - Improv Sphere - 05.12.2012

 

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Released at the same time as Syneuma, Magnetic River is a series of improvisations by six musicians which impressed me much more. The previous trio- Thanos Chrysakis (laptop, electronics and piano), James O’Sullivan (guitar), Jerry Wigens (Clarinets) are still present, but now accompanied by three saxophonists: Artur Vidal (Alto Saxophone), Sébastien Branche (Tenor Saxophone) and Tom Soleveitzik (Tenor Saxophone). While I have already chronicled the three first musicians, I was not aware of the Israeli saxophonist Soloveitzik, whilst Vidal and Branche make up the excellent due Relentless, a group whose activity is very much based upon the acoustics and exceptional resonances of the immediate environment.

On Magnetic River, it is very much the saxophones- and the clarinet of Jerry Wigens- that seem to form the base of each improvisation. A layer of wind instruments forms the base upon which each musician integrates himself as part of the collective texture, as the improvisation here is rather centred upon the overall sound and textures, where each instrument is assimilated and mixed-in, instead of the personality of the individual sounds. That said, it is not here a question of a drone or continuous flux- as regularly, starting with the alto of Vidal, an instrument detaches itself and a strong incisive note rises, whereupon all of the instruments release themselves from this overall texture for a more chaotic collective improvisation. Yes, a big importance is given to textures and the interweaving of textures, but also a focus on relief and punctuation allows the music to avoid becoming bogged-down in a simple minimalist drone. These 5 pieces manage to keep one’s attention beyond the micro-variations that they present, as there is also the play of tension between the punctuations and sharp changes in variation within them, not to mention the adventurous and singular nature of the textures produced themselves.

A sextet of young and older musicians, who offer up a warm, dense, rich and creative music.

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