Monday, September 17, 2007

susanne abbuehl: compass

this morning’s listening comes courtesy of swiss singer susanne abbuehl. her disc “compass” is breathtaking in its ability to take complex text and place it in a very listenable and yet challenging musical frame. the music is typically sparse and economical, an aural pique assiette, giving susanne’s voice the opportunity to slip in and around, through and under the assemblage.
i was drawn to this disc out of curiousity, being attracted in particular to track three (where flamingos fly) which remains my favourite tune as penned by canadian composer gil evans, most famous for his work with miles davis and yet an extraordinary composer and musician in his own right. i first heard this piece of music as a high school student on gil’s album “out of the cool.” i signed this album out of the local branch of the public library over and over, struck by the colour of the music as much as by its difference from anything i had heard to that point. that it was created and pressed in 1960 was of little consequence to me. it was out of the box.

the treatment of this wistful almost mournful tune is exquisite; gentle without the breathy obsequiousness so many female singers resort to instead of delivering true emotion through their voices.
track seven (as well as several other tracks) comes from a similarly sterling pedigree, having been penned originally by james joyce. the words are chosen from a collection of joyce's work released some 100 years ago. go here to read james joyce’s work entitled “chamber music” published in 1907:
http://whitewolf.newcastle.edu.au/words/authors/J/JoyceJames/
verse/chambermusic/index.html

here are the words to two of my favourite pieces:

The twilight turns from amethyst
    To deep and deeper blue,
The lamp fills with a pale green glow
    The trees of the avenue.
The old piano plays an air,
    Sedate and slow and gay;
She bends upon the yellow keys,
    Her head inclines this way.
Shy thought and grave wide eyes and hands
    That wander as they list—
The twilight turns to darker blue
    With lights of amethyst.
james joyce

similarly, “bright cap and streamers” finds its origins in the mind of james joyce:

Bright cap and streamers,
    He sings in the hollow:
    Come follow, come follow,
        All you that love.
Leave dreams to the dreamers
    That will not after,
    That song and laughter
        Do nothing move.
With ribbons streaming
    He sings the bolder;
    In troop at his shoulder
        The wild bees hum.
And the time of dreaming
    Dreams is over—
    As lover to lover,
        Sweetheart, I come.

the ubiquitous “black is the colour of my true loves hair” makes an appearance here and (with some gender adjustments e.g., “him” replaces “her”) is performed against a musical backdrop that owes as much to aaron copland’s lush minimalism as it does to its roots. the song by the way is often attributed to ireland but it is believed to have originated in the appalachian mountains.

here are the words:

Black is the color of my true love's hair
Her lips are like some roses fair
She has the sweetest smile and the gentlest hands.
I love the ground whereon she stands
I love my love and well she knows
I love the ground whereon she goes.
And I wish the day, it soon will come
That she and I will be as one
I'll go to the Clyde and I'll mourn and weep
Where satisfied I never shall be
I'll write her a letter, just a few short lines
And suffer death ten thousand times.



compass: an album of music that is as mind-engaging and beautiful as i have heard in some time.

Track listing: 1. Bathyal; 2. Black Is The Colour; 3. Where Flamingos Fly; 4. Lo Fiolaire; 5. Sea, Sea!; 6. Don't Set Sail; 7. The Twilight Turns From Amethyst; 8. Primrose; 9. Bright Cap And Streamers; 10. A Call For All Demons; 11. Children's Song #1; 12. In The Dark Pine-Wood.
Personnel: Susanne Abbuehl: vocals; Wolfert Brederode: piano, harmonium; Christof May: clarinet; Lucas Niggli: percussion; Michel Portal: clarinet (2,4).

to see and hear a sample of susanne’s work go here: http://www.jazzland.nl/Susanne%20Abbuehl.html

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