Posted by Cody Hoesly
Fred Frith, Zeena Parkins, and Ikue Mori packed the Wonder Ballroom Friday night. I haven’t been to the Works every night of TBA, but I’ve been there most nights, and no other night was as full as this night. A testament to the legendary status these artists have achieved, at least in their respective spheres. Sure, the usual TBA hipsters were there, but the crowd was decidedly more diverse, and, I’m assuming, not just because it was Friday night. As a friend of mine commented: “There’re a lot of gray-hairs here tonight.” Which I took as a sign that we were in for a solid show from a proven artist.
The trio did not disappoint. Their eclectic instrumentation and playing brought forth all manner of strange noises and imaginative soundscapes. The first sounds to come from the stage reminded me of the Starship Enterprise going through a wormhole — or at least reminded me of the sound effects used at such times in such movies. Soon a pod of whales was following the Enterprise. From there, I lost clear imagery. Jimi Hendrix floated in, but receded just as quickly.
Later, the music became more melodic. That is not necessarily to say pretty. It seemed like everytime the improvised sound was cruising toward one mood, Frith or Parkins or Mori would add a new dimension, destroying the temporary peace their sounds had found. One time, the music was almost lilting in its quiet peace, and I saw Frith stand there with hand to chin, thinking — the next minute he was hitting his guitar and razor-edged thunder was pealing forth, destroying the prior tranquility. Later, the vice versa occurred.
At all times, the music was morphing. Mori, motionless at her laptop (or so it seemed from the balcony), created pulsating beats that undergirded and inspired Parkins and Frith. Parkins was all over the place. One minute hugging plastic foil, the next spinning and whacking her electronic harp, the next bending down to adjust her pedals. Frith paced back and forth between his guitar and a table outfitted with chains and a variety of other “found” instruments. At one point, he raised and dropped a chain repeatedly to achieve his desired sound.
The one disappointment I felt in the show was the audience in the balcony, or, more specifically, those near the bar. They talked, and talked, ever more loudly to get over the music. I wondered to myself whether they were at the Works to be seen, or what, because they clearly weren’t there for Frith. Luckily, most of the audience was there for Frith, as the rapturous cheers following the show underscored. Let it not be said that hour-long improvisational soundscapes don’t have fervent fans.
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This was one of the worst pieces of so called improvised music I have ever seen in its history. I should know, I have followed its history since the 70’s. Frith should be ashamed of himself; he is capable of far better. Hitting a piece of metal with a 4/4 beat that shredded my ears over and over again like a mindless twit. He used his Loop pedal to horrible effect, sounded like improvisation from 1992 by a total amateur. He and Zeena sounded like they were having a brawl over who would get the most attention. They only listened to each other for a total time of about 5 minutes.
Ikue Mori was the exception. She was brilliant, but could not be heard.
This was a complete waste of time. The standing ovation was a joke. This added insult to injury.
Portland, you have no taste of what improvised music is if you even thought for a minute this was good.
We have local improvisers who are capable of extremely high value. And you don’t have to pay 20 dollars to go see it.
Just because these people have a reputation, does not mean that this was any good. I have seen derek bailey a total of 5 times, every time it was fantastic. This was mindless posturing…..and the audience facilitated it.
damn, i meant to see this.
I agree with DEG… although I was so disgusted that I left after about 15 minutes, so perhaps my response is not very well informed. Maybe my tolerance level is down after seeing performances every night for a week, but I must say, improvised music seems to have lost all urgency and relevance. This “jam” existed somewhere in between a million different stylistic cliches, with Frith trying to get a lick going, and Parkins banging rocks, all in the name of the “spontaneous” and “free”. How many times will these big name players trot out their bag of tricks, throw them in a pot and make a murky sound soup? I crave bold choices and clear directions from people with this much experience and skill.
And by the way, where is this audience the rest of the year, when local experimental players make sensitive, informed music?
Sorry Fred, I don’t know who Cody is but the world always has room for dreamers. To the un innitiated your show could be quite exiting. Us jaded old dogs though………………….
Sorry Fred, I don’t know who Cody is but the world always has room for dreamers. To the un innitiated your show could be quite exiting. Us jaded old dogs though………………….