#thread: barry and corbett

[cyberneticatoms]

"Yeah I've never gotten anyone not quite dead," Barry said shrugging, "Pretty sure I'd have bigger problems if I ever did." Pausing to take a few more bites of his pancakes before looking at him curiously, "What's your dad do then, he like a 911 operator or something?"

"My dad has to work with the police sometimes too. Well, one of them does. The person is usually still alive or not quite dead. Sometimes they're dead though. I guess those are the ones that get sent to you."

[dustedmagazine]

Philipp Wachsmann — Writing in Water (Bead/Corbett vs Dempsey)

The Chicago-based Corbett vs Dempsey label has been providing invaluable archival releases of free improvisation, reissuing key recordings by musicians like Joe McPhee, Milford Graves and Sun Ra as well as digging in to the vaults of labels like Hat Hut, FMP and ICP. This reissue of Writing in Water, violinist Philipp Wachsmann’s solo for violin and electronics, kicks off a new series of reissues of the Bead label. The UK label was founded in the mid-1970s as an artist-run collective by Peter Cusack, Simon Mayo, Wachsmann, Tony Wren and Richard Beswick. Starting with Milk Teeth, a duo by Cusack and Mayo, Bead documented improvised music by the collective as well as musicians like Ian Brighton, Larry Stabbins, David Toop and Tony Oxley as well as John Butcher’s first recording, a duo with pianist Chris Burn. With a catalog filled with overlooked and long-out-of-circulation gems, Wachsmann’s solo is a great way to kick things off.

The Uganda-born violinist came out of a contemporary composition background, having studied  with Nadia Boulanger and participated in the group Yggdrasil where he often utilized contact mics and DIY electronics performing works by composers like Cage, Cardew and Feldman. Moving to London in the early 70s, he began playing with musicians like Radu Malfatti, Brighton, and Oxley, Barry Guy and others as well as working in the collective group Chamberpot. By the time that he recorded Writing in Water in 1984, Wachsmann had expanded his activities as part of the European improv community, joining the second iteration of the group Iskra 1903, appearing in Company performances, participating in the London Jazz Composers Orchestra and collaborating with Fred Van Hove amongst others. A year before the recording, he had recorded a short solo for violin and electronics as part of a compilation of dedicated to Erik Satie. Writing in Water extends that compact study in to a fully-realized autonomous orchestration for violin, live electronics and pre-recorded tape.  

“Writing In Water,” the first side of the original LP, is a live solo set from the Actual Festival, Bloomsbury Theatre, London, in October 1984. The 26-minute piece starts with a slowly repeated arco note which is augmented and expanded on with measured patience as free, lyrical threads are woven in. Gradually, Wachsmann builds density with wisping countering lines that break into sections of sawed overtones and abraded textures. Four minutes in, the violinist introduces electronic oscillations which spin lush mirrored harmonics into the shimmering mix. As the improvisation progresses, electronics, taped components and the warm acoustic sound of the violin become inextricably combined with mercurial spontaneous invention. Pizzicato notes rebound off of skittering arco shadowed by quavering electronics. Dark, vocalized drones are introduced, further expanding the timbral range that Wachsmann draws from. Two thirds of the way through, an insistently repeated note provides a springboard for a section of muted hisses, hushed clatter and low, rasping granularity which courses with a quiet resolve which carries through to the end of the improvisation. In the last few minutes, wafts of violin subtly peak through, bringing the piece to an entrancing conclusion.  

“Water Writing,” the second side of the original LP, is a suite-like piece assembled from solo recordings made around London in various locations from the fall of ’84 through the summer of ’85. The various sections (“Prelude / Song / Violin Song / Monody Line With Squeaks And Foot Work In Two Parts / Blurred Edge / Melody”) serve as compact studies, each of which are imbued with an unassuming eloquence. The first section rings out with damped, plucked overtones with a sound reminiscent of a cross between a kora and a mbira. The short sections that follows move from arco drenched with resonant decay to somber droning lament to sections that sound almost like Baroque improvisations to folk-like lyricism. Wachsmann eschews the development of any overt arc as the piece moves from one segment to another, instead, letting each episode voice a particular focus, finding succinct conclusions and then moving on to the next segment. The deliberation is evident throughout, drawing the listener along from one movement to the next. It’s great to have this one back in circulation, providing an auspicious launch to this new archival dive into the Bead label vaults.  

Michael Rosenstein

[moteloleander]

Big apartment.

All the orphans, come by, come by.

Paris, so Flora can sneak away from Big Clarke and sneak in for a couple hours

Mitty loaded on champagne.

Toby and Abby (on again off again) very much on, out on the balcony in the snow

"Is Elektra alive or dead right now? Send an invitation anyway, it'll sort itself out"

Corbett Denlon can't come, would be a parole breach

Audrina Adare cops off with some guy called Barry. Or was it Kevin? Dennis maybe? Did he say his name was Jade?

No one knows who invited the Danish guy but at some point everyone gives up on trying to cheer him up and just leaves him to soliloquize.

But Santa did bring him a skull and he looked chuffed with that

Oh yeah Santa weighed in

Stephen Carrington avoiding his own family

All kinds of munch - table groaning with everything from the obvious turkey to mcCain oven chips

A full back bar's worth of bottles until no one really knows what they're drinking anymore

Will Graham shows up with a dog. No one looks at anything else for an hour

Someone goes to get their coat off the designated bed. Finds Eve Harrington balled up, sleeping peacefully in the middle of the pile.

Lula May attempts a trick she's too drunk for and sets the tree on fire.

It's okay, Bobby Drake puts it out.

The boxing day breakfast is a life event of grease and caffeine

The neighbors don't complain - 90% Spike and Drusilla saw to that, but say nothing, let's not ruin Christmas

"Carrie, could you pass the gravy?" *gravy boat hovers up the table* "Thank you."

May Kennedy making friends without a needle and thread :3

Floyd and Janice stop in while they're walking Animal in the Xmas Eve snow

Flynn Rider gatecrashes, planning on stealing from all these disparate guests, is overcome with the spirit of the season

Withnail and Margrave don't know how they got to Paris but might as well make the best of it.

If Mutt and Kitty go to the in-laws for Xmas, Big Son has nowhere to go… 😫

[cyberneticatoms]

"I work for the city, usually with the police," Barry explained pausing before adding, "I write reports on people who have died and explain as best as I can how it likely happened." Taking another bite he watched the younger guy warily, wondering if he'd have to move seats. It wasn't the best topic at the best times, even less while trying to eat. "I guess technically? Most of the time once the report leaves I don't hear anything else that happens."

"What's that?" they asked after the other had mentioned what they did for work. Corbett looked over as the waiter had come back around to set a cup of coffee down. It was usually the only thing Corbett ordered while at the diner, and sometimes the staff would just automatically bring over when they were there. Tonight had been one of those times. "Do you like solve crimes?" Corbett asked before bringing the steaming cup up to their face, not to drink, but just to take a deep inhale of. He had said he worked with the police after all.

[cyberneticatoms]

"Damn, yeah I don't miss writing papers...well mean I still kind of do that a lot. Just not for English class," Barry said, grateful when the waiter swung by with his pancakes. Barely paying attention if his new booth companion ordered anything as he spread butter and syrup on them. He hesitated briefly at the question, but it was late and if it freaked them out better now than later. "I work as a forensic pathologist, usually work with the police," he said before taking a bite of his pancakes.

"Second one" Corbett said, including holding up two fingers as they did. "Paper for my English class. I've had a lot going on, so middle of the night has wound up being the only time I can really work on it." they glanced back down at the screen, opening up a few needed files. "where do you work?" they asked, curious since it felt like there were only a certain number of places that would call someone in late.

[cyberneticatoms]

Barry snorted, a grin on his face despite feeling a little offended over the description. "Yeah that sounds accurate. Had to go into work," he admitted, giving a half hearted shrug. He was watching Corbett curiously as they got set up. "So this work or you..," squinting slightly as he studied them, "College student?"

"No, no this side is fine" Corbett shook their head as they set the backpack down first and then slid in after. "Besides you do kind of look like you'd fall out like one of those fainting goats if you moved too much" they observed as they started to get their laptop out to set on the diner table.

[cyberneticatoms]

Barry was slumped in the diner booth, head leaning against the wall as he waited for his food. Getting called into work in the middle of the night was never fun, there was never a good reason for him to be at work, least not to him. He also was never good about saying no, so despite working a long morning shift he'd still done the late night job. Glancing up when someone walked up, his brow furrowed, about to ask what was up considering the kid wasn't his waiter at least he didn't think they were.

"Uh...," trailing off he shrugged motioning to the open side, "Sure? Um..sorry didn't know this was your spot. That side good or do we need to switch?" He barely felt like moving but switching sides felt like less work than finding a different seat.

where: All Night Diner 2

who: Corbett and Barrett ( @cyberneticatoms )

Corbett inhaled as they stood to the side of the booth. "Hi, sorry to bother you, but this is kind of my comfort spot in here, and I was - you don't have to move, but can I sit here? I tried sitting somewhere else" the place was rather empty at the time of night it was, "but it was - it was weird and I kept thinking about how it was weird. I won't bother you and I just need like this much space to work on a paper" they lifted their hands to designate about the size of space a laptop would take up. "You can have the rest for whatever you ordered or need to use it for. Please say yes" the last bit was added almost as if it hadn't been directed at the other the way the rest of it had. Rather just a vocal expression of what should be an inner thought.