The Sealed Knot - Confront Performance Series

Confront
Confront Performance Series CPS 03

I found myself thinking of the “supergroups” of my misspent youth—Emerson, Lake and Palmer; Blind Faith; Last Exit (mildly kidding about that one….). But Sealed Knot is indeed made up of three musicians for whose creations I’ve had an enormous affinity these last few years and their integration into a functioning trio is next to impossible for me to experience with anything other than delight.

This is a live date from October, 2006 at a joint called The Red Hedgehog, two tracks. Wastell is on double bass here, Davies and Beins on their regular axes. I’m not at all sure any blow by blow description would be of much value but suffice it to say that much of the material encountered in this concert is more viscerally propulsive than you might expect, Wastell in particular sawing away at his bass with calculated abandon. This is of course not to say that there’s anything of a pyrotechnical nature involved; when the first piece subsides from the initial fury, the delicate placement of bongs, whirrs and muffled thuds is exquisite enough to cause one to hold one’s breath. Later in the same cut, closing out the improvisation, the brutal grinding of some kind of cords being bowed by Beins (? guessing) contrasting with Wastell’s deep, deep arco and Davies’ angelically high hum is just too good.

The slow, loose cadence that opens the second piece evokes a slightly ritualistic nature, not so dissimilar to that heard on Wastell’s recent “Amoungst English Men”. That rhythmic kernel gets batted around for a good while, assuming a variety of guises until, once again, a surprisingly forceful little storm develops, looming in off the sea before it crashes against the cliff sides. Once again, Davies’ keening tones are absolutely shiver-inducing, beautifully placed among the rougher surroundings. A crude, bell-like beat emerges, a tocsin sounding before a return to the initial processional.

A wondrous performance. Better than “Tarkus”!

Available from sound 323