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Startle the Echoes
The Wachsmann / Hutchinson Duo has existed since the 1980's. It grew out
of the influential Chamberpot ensemble that started in the early 70’s,
and which recorded on Bead Records. Since then the Duo has been performing
in a wide variety of venues and at times in extended groups.
The music in this recording is taken from three recent London concerts.
The six tracks contain music that is wide ranging, provocative, haunting
often with juxtapositions of unlikely and seemingly unreconcilable elements
that include the tonal, the abstract, the absurd, the funny, and the sublime.
Sometimes with stunning disparity the music tells an unusual story.
Both musicians are concerned with live electronics as a spontaneous and
fluent extension of their musical intents - be it with different approaches.
Philipp Wachsmann’s electronics began with two contact mics on the
violin and later introduced self made circuits such as ring modulation.
Later he added further analogue and then digital transformation as they
became available. His electronics complement, extend and feed his acoustic
playing from the use of simple sound reinforcement to the dazzling and
complex use of signal processing (and manipulation), with the acoustic
violin remaining at the heart of it. Matthew Hutchinson began primarily
as an acoustic pianist but later relied increasingly on electric piano
due to the lack of suitable pianos at many venues. His work on electric
piano led naturally to the addition of transformations and to extended
sound generation (namely synthesisers). He produces sounds in such a way
that his electronically generated sources often gain the sensitivity and
type of presence more normally associated with acoustic instruments.
Matthew Hutchinson comes from a Jazz background. He performed on piano
at many of the major jazz venues in London and throughout England. His
interest in free improvisation began with his exposure to and brief involvement
with free jazz in the late sixties. By 1978 he was playing regularly on
the London improvising scene. Currently he works with several groups both
in improvisation and the performance of new music. These include duos
with John Butcher, Chris Burn, and the latter's much acclaimed 'Ensemble'
and a number of combinations with Tony Wren. Recordings include 'Opera'
with Will Evans and Richard Beswick (Bead), 'Horizontals White'(Emanem)
and 'Ensemble at Musica Genera 2002' (GM) both with Chris Burn's Ensemble,
'The All Angels Concert' (Emanem) with John Butcher, and 'Freedom of the
City 2002 Small Groups' (Emanem) with Chris Burn.
Philipp Wachsmann has been working with improvisation since 1970 - work
that includes film, dance, painting, architecture, composition and mixed
media. Recordings include solos (‘Writing in Water’, ‘Chathuna’)
and a wide variety of groups, ‘Towards the Margins’ with Paul
Lytton and various recordings with Evan Parker’s Electro Acoustic
Ensemble (ECM), Trio with Evan Parker and Teppo Hauta-aho (Leo), and ‘Lines
in Australia’ (Emanem). Soon to be released will be the Duo USA Tour
with Martin Blume, and Duo with Michael Bunce. PW is interested in the
many levels and dimensions to which music can transcend and to which idea
the Bead Special 2004 editions are dedicated.
Catherine Hope-Jones on the CD image
I am happy to celebrate the work of this duo whose performances and musical
collaborations I have enjoyed many times over the last six years. In considering
my visual response to the characteristics of this particular musical partnership
the concepts of “over time” and in “different locations”
intrigued me and so I abandoned the development of a single static image
for the cover. What eventually emerged is a weave of different motifs,
fragments of spaces, objects, details taken from past landscape images,
reflecting the ambience of some of the tracks and the location of the
most recently recorded tracks. Other imposed elements I hope suggest movement
into, through and beyond the time scale of “echoes” and progression
of time while the vibrancy of marks and colour express my delight in the
playful intensity and at times jazzy ambience of this compilation and
collaboration.
Catherine Hope-Jones work as an artist since
the 1970’s has had particular reference to drawing/painting Landscape.
She was the 1985 winner of the Laing Landscape Painting Competition, has
contributed to group exhibitions and her work is held in private collections
in the UK. Since 2001 the revival of drawing activity has led to several
series, and also to performances of “Four Dimensional Drawing (sound
/ image / environment). Recently internal “wall scapes” (hospital
application) and externally projected images in site specific contexts
have been proposed. Her search has been to find connections across imagined
and physical spaces while combining studio, on-site and processing techniques.
publicity material for the Anton Bruckner Choir and CD covers relating
to contemporary jazz
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BEAD RECORDS SPECIAL 05SP
STARTLE THE ECHOES
Philipp Wachsmann Violin and Electronics
Matthew Hutchinson Keyboards and Electronics
1 SPIKE (D) DANCE 8:41 [rr]
2 DREAM SPACES 15:47 [pf]
3 SIGHT LINE 9:23 [rr]
4 RECOURSE 14:25 [cc]
5 DISCOURSE 7:48 [pf]
6 INTERIORS 6:57 [cc]
Total time 63:06
(rr) The Red Rose (17 March 2002)*
(cc) The Charteris Centre (15 December 2002)
(pf) Poetry Festival at The Camden People’s Theatre (29 June 2003)*
Recordings by Tim Fletcher*
Cover and Art work by Catherine Hope-Jones
Bead Records Special CD05 SP
All compositions Copyright Philipp Wachsmann (PRS/MCPS) and Matthew Hutchinson
(PRS/MCPS)
© prs/mcps 2004
www.beadrecordssp.com
info@beadrecordssp.com
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