Search - Ned Rothenberg :: Solo Works: Lumina Recordings

Early solo works.

Michael Stack | North Chelmsford, MA USA | 03/03/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

""Solo Works-- The Lumina Recordings" collects three LPs recorded by Ned Rothenberg of primarily solo recordings from the early 1980s, digitally remastered and if I'm not mistaken made available for the first time of CD. Rothenberg doesn't quite have the name recognition that a number of other downtown performers have gained and being a reed player seems to put everyone on that scene pretty much in the shadow of John Zorn, but these recently reissued recordings offer an opportunity to evaluate Rothenberg's early works and consider him as a distinct artist.



Rothenberg's first LP of solo material, "Trials of Argo", was recorded in 1980 and 1981 and consists of two extended performances. It is probably the least satisfying of the material on this set. By his own admission in the liner notes, he wasn't quite sure of what he was doing in this environment and particularly on the title track, it shows. "Trials of Argo" is an alto sax feature with a number of overdubbed woodwind instruments in the mix. It opens with chirping and breathy sounds and eventually builds into a fractured rhythmic figure that turns over to more concrete lines. The problem, however, is that the focus of the piece is lost in the overdubs, and before it settles back into its original sound, it ends up being pretty washed out. The end finds Rothenberg frantically blowing over a drone and the playing is fine enough that it makes up for what it took to get there, but the piece as a whole fails. "Continuo After the Inuit" fares a bit better-- it builds from a low droning note on alto occasionally punctuated by an upper register excursion-- building in intensity and volume with the upper register performance taking hold over the droning. It has a nice sound and one could imagine it would have developed nicely over time live.



A significant leap forward is the material from "Portal"-- recorded in 1982 and 1983, the three tracks show Rothenberg coming moreso to terms with constructing a solo performance. "Portal" is similar in form to 'Continuo' with the same drone/upper register format swapping, but performed on bass clarinet and much better realized. "Caenis" finds Rothenberg performing on a soprano double ocarina (a sort of box-shaped wooden flute)-- he uses the polyphonic nature of the instrument to construct two coplimentary lines that starts off gently and picks up over time-- it ends up being one of the more intriguing and satisfying pieces on the entire collection. "Polysemy" finds Rothenberg performing on alto sax and drum kit with Gerry Hemingway joining on a steel drum. This piece is built around rhythmic figures by and large, with all three instruments providing by and large a rhythmic rather than a melodic component. The performance itself ends up being quite engaging, with Rothenberg's simple lines intertwining around each other.



It is on the final LP included in this collection-- "Trespass"-- however that Rothenberg really hits his stride. Consisting of seven briefer solo performances (rather than the extended works of the previous records), it benefits from the economy of the pieces-- Rothenberg makes more succinct statements around individual ideas and rather than attempting to make extended ideas come forth. This allows for the record to have more of the notion of tracks that excite you-- "Caeneus" finds Rothenberg digging deeply into blues tradition before surrendering to overtones and his circular lines, the title track finds him exploring descending lines using overtones to shift between them, and "Slapstick", probably the real standout of the record, features a fantastic, swinging bass clarinet line with Rothenberg showing how agile and versatile both he and the instrument is. The onlyu really extended cut, "Kakeai", is an alto sax duet between Rothenberg and John Zorn and proves to be stunning. Zorn's presence adds a frantic energy to the piece that Rothenberg picks up on and the 11 minute+ workout turns out to be the most energetic and exploratory cut on the record with extended register and technique rising and falling. Rothenberg seems inclined to occasionally maintain a more rhythmic figure while letting Zorn cut loose, but the two respond to each other nicely and the performance is fantastic throughout.



This compilation also includes three unreleased tracks recorded significantly later that feature more of an electronic bent. "Wrestling with Water", from 1991 and performed on processed bass clarinet, is a near-ambient piece, with the horn rising above a swirl. Structurally, it's actually quite siilar to the earlier material, but it works significantly better. "Funhouse" (presented in two tracks), from 1998, features live processing by David Weinstein and again finds Rothenberg on bass clarinet, is probably the best performance on the set. Drifting in and out of ambient and his usual pallette, Rothenberg is able to construct a piece that demands attention and is stunningly well performed-- it's easy to see where his progress has brought him.



This set has been remastered-- truthfully I never had the original recordings, but the sound is clear and distinct with no residual traces of the analog transfer and the release includes an essay by Rothenberg about the history of these recordings that makes for a nice read.



All in all, "The Lumina Recordings" is a fine set-- Rothenberg had a long way to develop as a solo performer and it shows, but the opportunity to see his work so early is well worth investigation."