I mentioned briefly last time out that I had been back in touch with Atanase (whose Church Number Nine blog really kick-started my own journey of exploration into free jazz and improvised music, around fifteen years ago*), but at the time it didn't feel appropriate to say much more than that - although I did say that he plays reeds now. This is not a new development as such: even before he left London, he was playing tenor sax (latterly having lessons with Rachel Musson, somewhat known these days for her own association with clarinet wizard Alex Ward). Since Atanase moved back to Georgia, he has also been playing bass clarinet and, most recently, shehnai (although he is most dismissive of his playing on the latter instrument).
A. sent me a link to an album which he has recorded with two friends. He was at pains to point out that it's not the kind of music he expected me to like, or that he himself would usually be involved in; the two other musicians - a guitarist and a synth player - are both professionals, but both come from backgrounds in pop and dance music, not the sort of bandmates A. would immediately have chosen if he could. I do know that he has struggled to find people back home that come even close to sharing his taste in music; in the end, he embarked on a project which was a sort of middle ground for all three (even then, it didn't end up exactly the sort of drone music which they started out intending to play). And he's right enough: it's not my usual cup of tea, or any of my usual teas for that matter**... but I did quite enjoy listening to it, mainly because I really dug the reeds on this. You can hear where all those hours of practice have gone... I certainly hope he carries on recording, and is maybe able to find some more sympathetic playing-partners as time goes on! He has given me his blessing now to mention the album on here, so if anyone's interested... go check it out :)
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There's still pretty much a week of December left, and it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that I will post again before 2022 evaporates, but if I don't... well, it's been good to get going again on this, finally, even if the world has moved on in my absence - even if hardly anybody is reading - even if I still managed to find time to get myself "stuck", as I mentioned just recently: well, that's not gonna last, and I have every intention of continuing to post into the new year and beyond. This already ended up being the most productive single year the blog has enjoyed since 2011; indeed there have only been three years which saw more activity than this one did, in the end. It feels good to be back. If anyone is reading this "live" - happy festive season, however you and yours might be celebrating it. Back soon! C x
* I've somewhat lost track, but I am pretty sure C#9 actually started late in 2006 and was active into 2007 - well, it must definitely have been active in 2007 because its eventual demise was swiftly followed by McClintic Sphere starting this one (little knowing that I was about to run away with it... I didn't know that either, until I got going on it). As for my listening tastes and all that - I was already listening to jazz before C#9 came along, and my tastes were far more geared towards the freer end of things, but I had not really "found my ears" yet. If anyone really wants more information on this, they can find it here - a post which also happens to sum up my conclusions regarding the state of the Braxton quartet up to and including 1976.
** My own music taste is still sort of oddly-unbalanced: wide in terms of the variety of sounds (etc) I will tolerate, quite narrow in terms of what I actually listen to. Besides (mainly free) jazz and creative music, I do still listen to (some of the more extreme subgenres of) metal, but these days I'm more into hardcore punk - especially the more intense and brutal strains thereof (fastcore, grindcore, powerviolence etc). I also listen to some less outlandish rock-based stuff, but not that much. And that's kind of it, because I seem to get enough sustenance out of that lot to keep me going...
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