Profiled From Atmospheres
Ravello, 2024
8/10
Listen to Profiled From Atmospheres
The 6th release from the ecoacoustic composer on the Ravello label, Matthew Burtner brings some excellent help for these detailed and unique selections.
“Piece for a Northern Sky” starts the listen with Burtner’s vibraphone and atmosphere ecoacoustics that emit plenty of wonder and cautiousness, and “Auroras” follows with the northern lights ecoacoustics that are meshed into a light buzzing with sci-fi nods.
Further along, “Arbor” unfolds across 5 chapters that blend Bruno Eicher’s violin, Mary Hammann’s viola, Sarah Crocker Vonsattel’s violin and Kari Jane Docter’s cello and tree ecoacoustics into an intimate and engaging warmth and cinematic qualities, while “Nocturne (Moth Music)” places Burtner on soprano sax, as Glen Whitehead handles trumpet, signal processor, ultrasonic speakers an noise generator for the 8+ minutes of ambience and serenity.
The last piece, “Profiled from Atmospheres”, is populated by Weiss/Soflin Duo, where Michael Weiss’ alto saxophone ane Elizabeth Soflin’s percussion and atmosphere ecoacoustics emit a rich and unpredictable album highlight of creativity.
A very atypical effort that spotlights humanity’s top three greenhouse gas emissions, Burtner’s atmospheric presence and the strong collaboration present makes every track unique and memorable.
Travels well with: David Therrien Brongo- Confluence; Avner Finberg- The Four Seasons Of Isolation