Grosse Abfahrt - Erstes Luftschiff zu Kalifornien

Creative Sources
CS065

Don’t worry. Not being too well versed in German, I was a little leery of the translation of the group’s name too. But it’s simply “Large Departure”, an octet comprised of Serge Baghdassarians (electronics), Boris Baltschun (electronics), Chris Brown (piano, electronics), Tom Djll (trumpet), Matt Ingalls (clarinet), Tim Perkis (electronics), Gino Robair (analog synthesizer) and John Shiurba (guitar). Those familiar with theses names might have a fair inkling of what to expect though, for myself, I found the group pushed things a bit further in the direction of non-hyperactive improvisation than I might have thought, a good thing for this listener.

This first airship to California alights in a gentle field of clicks and rustles, the acoustic instruments active in areas well away from what their designers intended, the electronics emitting soft counterpoint. As with most of the disc, to the extent the musicians resist idiomatic tropes, including those of free improvisation, the result is quite engaging. Though such gestures do seep in on occasion, by and large Grosse Abfahrt is successful in crafting a convincing, natural music, no mean feat for a mid-size ensemble. On the other hand, some of the members, notably Matt Ingalls, manage to integrate more traditional phrasing quite well into the abstraction, as he does on the second track. On the same cut, Shiurba unspools some intriguing, pure-toned guitar that also, partially because of its own stubborn incongruity, nestles well into the noise. The brief “Morrell remained hopeful” is a fine little nugget, concise and to the point. The same could be said, aside from the brevity, of the ensuing “riesenflugzeugabteilung” (a WWI aircraft, if I’m not mistaken), my favorite piece on the disc. Here, Brown’s piano and the various electronics create a rich, undulating bed from which the other sundry creaky, squeaky goings-on flower. It’s an excellent track, one that fans of John Butcher’s interactions with various electronicists will certainly enjoy.

In fact, to these ears, there’s not a weak cut among the five presented herein. It’s a good recording, probably my favorite among the relatively few I’ve heard involving the California crew.

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