Subduing The Silence
Orchard of Pomegranates, 2023
9/10
Listen to Subduing The Silence
The vocalist and composer Ruiqi Wang impresses us with this debut, where several skilled players are on hand for the 11 songs of abstract, vocal jazz.
“Xiang Leng Jin Ni #1” starts the listen with Wang’s soft and expressive singing alongside Mili Hong’s well timed drums in the powerful climate, and “A Letter To L” follows with Stephanie Urquhart’s graceful piano complementing the charming vocal scatting of the dreamy delivery.
In the middle, “Shimmering” radiates a rare intimacy via the poetic vocals and profound attention to mood, while “Dream Of The Pines” is a rich, melodic album highlight that uses the Craft Ensemble’s gorgeous strings with much care.
Landing near the end, “Xiang Leng Jin Ni #3” manipulates the strings with creativity and warmth thanks to the precise bowing, and “Fragments For Subduing The Silence” exits with Wang’s absorbing storytelling and the diverse violins, viola and cello interacting with sensitive gestures of intrigue.
A highly thoughtful record with some of the most striking vocals you’ll hear anywhere, Wang and her all female cast leave us enthralled across these 36 minutes.
Travels well with: Eve Egoyan and Maurico Pauly- Hopeful Monsters; James Rolfe- Wound Turned To Light