Manafonistas

 

 
 
 
Somebody decorated our door today. Nobody knows who, nobody knows why.

Thanks anyways.

„(…) like all the best genius (like Another Green World) it recedes back into the horizon almost as soon as it appears“ (Ian McCartney) 

„(…) apparitions, three seconds make up one NOW, the label 12k is specialised in the disappearance of sounds, they should publish Bill Viola’s „Presence““ (M.E.) 

Rosy Keyser’s (b.1974) painting reaches beyond the limits of the canvas, inspiring abodily response to our existence in the material world. Interested in the intersection between people and the matter that surrounds us, she forages for materials which she then gesturally moulds, tears or deconstructs to reveal their intrinsic fragilities. Using large stretchers that seem window-like and operate as a grid, these materials are applied upon voids of space to suggest a sense of ritual and renewal. Decay and absence are in flux, emphasising past presence and action; a palimpsest of existence that waxes and wanes.

Integral to defining the aesthetic possibilities of video, one of Bill Viola’s (b.1951) rarer sound works, Presence (1995), offers a sensitive interpretation of human existence. First exhibited in the rotunda of the US Pavilion at the 46th Venice Biennale, voices from early childhood through to old age can be heard at the edge of audibility, whispering secrets and personal stories. The presence of the work can only be heard and felt, as sound vibrations pulse through the space.

And much more …

Einmal reckte er die Faust in den Nachthimmel von Portugal, sein Protest gegen die Junta, auf einer bewegenden Duo-Platte namens „Closeness“ ertönten die metallischen Geräusche von  Maschinengewehrsalven, während er mit dem samtigen Ton seines Kontrabasses und Paul Motian an seiner Seite ein Lamento anstimmte, er spielte auf vielen Meilensteinen von Ornette Coleman bis Keith Jarrett, unvergesslich das erste Hören, das Immer-Wieder-Hören der  „Survivors‘ Suite“, ein opus magnum der ECM-Historie Hadens.  Und immer wieder öffneten sich Archive, als könnte der Zauber gar kein Ende nehmen, die Live-Aufnahme „Magico – Canto di amor“ aus dem Münchner Amerikahaus (mit einem damals noch expressiven Garbarek und einem Drahtseilspezialisten a la Gismonti) belegt, wie nah bei Haden der Jazz, der Folk, die Kammermusik und die Exstase beieinander lagen. Er liebte ohnehin das alte Amerika und den film noir, man hörte Humphrey Bogarts Stimme auf dem ersten und besten Album seines „Quartet West“.  In den letzten Jahren wurde sein Ton nostalgischer. Jeder Jazz Lover hat seine eigenen Favoriten, ein sanfter Revolutionär ist von uns gegangen.  R.I.P.

Ask any Manafonista, and they have their choices, for their possible favourite album of the year (so far). Among the candidates, Eno/Hyde’s High Life, a forthcoming quartet work by Louis Sclavis, Fennesz’s Becs, Swans‘ To Be Kind, Charcoal Owls‘ Tin Roof, and the list is of course a bit longer. Here comes the playlist of another hot (very hot) contender for the album of the year, two pieces will be played in my radionacht klanghorizonte on August 16th. It will be our cd of the month in September or October 2014, Henning or I (or both of us, he doesn’t know yet!:)) will write it.

1. Navigators (06:40)
2. Halfway House (01:28)
3. Sanctuary (03:06)
4. Pioneer Trail (04:23)
5. Red Café (03:03)
6. Last Chance Gas & Water (08:51)
7. Strife (01:35)
8. Sanctuary Revisited (04:23)
9. Departed (02:51) 

The „field“ of experimental ambient music (if there is such a thing) needs Sawako’s delicate, measured, expansive touch. We connoisseurs yearn for it. Sadly, the woman who describes herself as a „sound sculptor“ and a „signal alchemist“ is so busy – think of her audio-visual installation at the planetarium of the Sonar Festival or her numerous live performances, including an appearance on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s radio show – that we simply had to wait. This time, the waiting lasted six years before we could put our ears on a follow-up to her exquisite 12k release Bitter Sweet. And, of course, nu.it is well worth the wait.

nu.it almost looks like a website URL but it isn’t. What it is, though, is the perfect embodiment of Sawako’s art: concise, quiet, yet incredibly rich in possible meanings. We have the French word „nuit,“ which means night, and this is clearly music of the night, from the go-to-sleep mood of „Locus of Everyday Life“ to the recurring impression of being staked out in the jungle after dark, listening to unexpected creatures. This is not reality, unless it is a new form of reality, in which case the title could be pronounced „new it.“ The title can be read in other ways, in other languages, and ultimately its meaning is left to you.

(from Baskaru Headquarter)