By Gary Chapin
Martin Archer’s confluence of avant, prog, improv, electronics, krautrock, and big band is one of my favorite ongoing projects in the field, and my joy at this release is matched only by my being bummed out by the fact that this is the last recording the band will be putting out. The enterprise has come to a close. Theta Seven serves well as a valedictory effort — a capstone. Here’s the personnel:
- Martin Archer – woodwind, keyboards, software instruments
- Steve Dinsdale – drums, keyboards
- Lorin Halsall – acoustic and electric double basses, electronics
- Yvonna Magda – violin and electronics
- Andy Peake – piano, keyboards
- Walt Shaw – drums, percussion, electronics
- Jan Todd – vocals, voices, melodies, electronics, guzheng, electric Harp-E, lute harp, cross strung harp, hulusi flutes, metal Noisebox, waterphones, found sound recordings, electronic samples
- Terry Todd – bass guitar
The method of The Orchestra of the Enlightenment mixes composition, improv, and collage. For two frenetic days the band gathers and records all base tracks. Afterwards, Martin Archer takes the recordings, does overdubs, “radically” edits, and collage until, finally, the mass of granite has been shaped into a piece of work that reflects Martin’s original vision along with Brit prog, avant jazz, electronics, psychedelia, and trippy cinema soundtracks. There is a lovely Ummagumma-ish-ness to parts of this that I didn’t realize I missed.
The music is presented twice, once broken into eleven tracks, and once presented as a single hour-and-a-quarter-ish track of the whole thing. I prefer the latter, since every moment of music depends on where it came from and where it’s going. The segues and fades of this collage work are all on point.
There are many specific points that struck me extraordinary and have made this a many-spins-five-star album. After an evocative and lovely duet between the bass and the guzheng (an African zither-type), the second tune lets out all the horses. The drums fall into that ensorceling, mid-tempo “set the controls for the heart of the sun” groove that’s going to be the foundation for much that follows. The bass launches a repetitive, funky riff. A horn section of sorts, electronics, violin, haunting vocalese, electronics — overlapping melodies, almost, at the level of the arrangement, a round. On top of the pile is Archer’s baritone saxophone — which has a majestic timbre.
Martin Archer’s Discus puts out so much great stuff it’s easy to take for granted. But five stars is five stars, even when Archer makes a habit of it.
2 comments:
Agreed, Gary. This album is exceptional. It is a shame that this might be the last we hear from the Orchestra, but at least they are going out with what to these ears is the best of an already strong catalog of releases.
Seriously deep space! My first time really digging into the Orchestra of the Upper Atmosphere, I feel like I had seen the name around before somewhere, we see so many tidbits these days. What a treat! With Sun Ra getting so much attention now thanks to the American Masters documentary (which I still haven't seen ) the cover in the album seems excellently timed and well executed too!
Always a marvelous reminder about how the planet and the sun and the whole system is hurtling through space orbiting in our galaxy as that too hurtles through space. Whew. Good music for that kind of thinking. Important music to push people to grapple with that kind of thinking. Ultimately and I sadly don't know for sure about this but it seems very on brand and likely to me Sun Ra's objective: Inspire interstellar thinking to advance planetary unity here on earth. Recall the Pale Blue Dot, we're all just here on this very big rock and there is just a whole lotta nothin and whole lotta places we simply cant exist with the anything close to the same ease we struggle here on Earth.
MY PIGGYBACK listening recommendation:
COSMIC TONES FOR MENTAL THERAPY by SUN RA and his myth science arkestra
-AIDAN
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