Take Wing, Roll Back
New Focus, 2024
9/10
Listen to Take Wing, Roll Back
The New York City flutist Tessa Brinckman fleshes out a highly unique listen here, where her instrument makes for a geo-poetic exploration of both past and present, and doesn’t lack any humor, pathos and drive.
Norio Fukushi’s “Dawn Brightens The Day Of Mortals Robed In Purple” starts the listen with Brinckman’s fascinating flute playing that carries much emotion and takes help from Caroline Delume’s flowing acoustic guitar, and “Zeuze”, by Andile Khumalo, follows with Kathleen Supové’s gripping piano playing that complements the cinematic landscape.
Residing in the middle, “Taniwha”, an original, has Brinckman playing all the instruments for the sci-fi friendly climate that uses piccolo, horomona horo and several flutes, while “Wade Through Water”pairs Brinckman’s alto flute and Supová’s keys, which makes for a harmonic and unpredictable album highlight in the collaboration piece with Khumalo.
Shirish Korde’s “Tenderness Of Cranes” arrives near the end and is a solo flute outing that illustrates Brinckman’s profound skill with her instrument, and “A Cracticus Fancie” exits with Brinckman using a piccolo with spoken word via a hint of mystery
A fascinating journey into contemporary classical flute dynamics, Brinckman’s vision touches on African gestures, Japanese traditions, New Zealand poetry and many other worldly ideas that further solidify this body of work as culturally and artistically superb.
Travels well with: Ekmeles- We Live The Opposite Daring; Yu-Hui Chang- Mind Like Water