Tulpa
New Focus, 2021
9/10
A collection of work that spans over two decades of Curtis K. Hughes’s creative output, there’s solo, duo and much larger situations present, as some of Boston’s finest musicians help cultivate rich textures, sparse beauty and plenty of unpredictable song craft that illuminate Hughes’s inimitable vision.
“flagrant” starts the listen with just snare drum from Aaron Trant that’s both bare and playful, and “antechamber” follows with the Boston Percussion Group displaying their dynamic and skilled noisemakers blending in a dizzying display of abstract rhythm.
Further down the line, “wingtones I. (with giddy ferocity)” radiates with Amy Advocat’s clarinet and Yoko Hagino’s piano as both elegance and firmness are showcased amid their inner dialog, while “it was not raining”, one of the album’s best, illustrates Matt Sharrock’s marimba prowess in a subdued, dreamy climate.
The album exits on 4 chapters of “tulpa”, where vibraphone, violin, clarinets, cello, bassoon and many other instruments inject a chamber, orchestral and classical hybrid that’s flowing with innovation and an unparalleled execution.
A very diverse listen that embraces atypical harmony and a skill set that includes both forceful and soothing musicianship, there isn’t a moment to be found here that isn’t exhilarating.
Travels well with: Douglas Boyce- The Hunt By Night; Eric Lyon- Giga Concerto