Plays Well With Others
New Focus, 2021
9/10
Listen to Plays Well With Others
On their 3rd release for the New Focus label, loadbang. i.e. Jeff Gavett (baritone), Andew Kozar (trumpet), William Lang (trombone) and Adrian Sandi (clarinet) are in the company of a string ensemble as they interpret the works of 5 different composers on this very distinct and compelling listen.
Taylor Brook’s “Tarantism” starts the listen with a setting that goes back to the 16th and 17th century, where Gavett’s narration suits the dissonance, abrupt strings and atypical harmonics, and this creativity continues to the playfully ambient and odd electronics of “Riven”, where the 11 minutes shifts with timbre manipulation in the Heather Stebbins composition.
In the middle, Eve Beglarian’s “You See Where This Is Going” pairs plucky strings with bright clarinet amid soaring baritone vocals, while “mo(nu)ment for C/Palimpsest” turns repetition into a refined art form as quivering instrumentation and unpredictable vocal gestures provide much intrigue.
Approaching the end, “CVS”, by Scott Wollschleger, offers a meditative quality, where he addresses how information is distributed, and allows the strategic minimalism to convey this, and “Such Is Now The Necessity” exits the listen with the most dense track, where sublime layering and charming reverb accent Gavett’s vocal acrobatics.
These New York City innovators have been plugging away since 2008, and Plays Well With Others sees them continuing their atypical version of contemporary ensemble dynamics with unparalleled meticulousness and a vision that few others will ever be able to replicate.
Travels well with: Borderlands Ensemble- The Space In Which To See; Michael Compitello- Unsnared Drum