Jon Corbett once said that in the sometimes hermetic world of free
improvised music, there are contrasting tendencies between fragmentation and
blending. In the 1970s in particular, there was a certain ‘schism’ between
jazz musicians and non-jazz musicians, which has continued to exist until
today, as can be seen, for example, in Mats Gustafsson’s and Thurston
Moore’s duo or Peter Brötzmann’s collaborations with Last Exit or Oxbow.
However, some musicians are also drawn to like-minded colleagues who share
their musical philosophy, their aesthetic goals, and their taste. And there
is nothing negative about that.
Stefan Keune is one of these musicians. For example, he enjoys playing with
guitarists who share his view of freely improvised music – a style more
closely aligned with European free improvisation than with classical (free)
jazz. In the mid 1990s, he approached John Russell because he liked his
guitar sound so much. “I always thought his 1930s Epiphone guitar with steel
strings and his dental acrylic pick were great,” he says, and indeed,
Russell’s sound was unique and suited Keune’s delicate, irritated, disturbed
tone. Then there are also recordings with his old friend Erhard Hirt, with
whom he plays in
Xpact
and the
King Übü Orchestrü
, but whose approach is completely different because it’s based on
electronics and the preparation of the instrument. Finally,
Keune’s latest project
at the Moers Festival with Damon Smith and Sandy Ewen is also different,
although the guitarist also prepares her guitar with objects and uses
effects devices and two amplifiers.
On Closer and Beyond, he has joined Dirk Serries. Serries (guitar)
and Benedict Taylor (viola) have played with each other frequently, and
since Stefan Keune has a penchant for string instruments anyway – whether
bass, guitar, violin, or viola – this trio was somehow a natural fit. And of
course it comes as no surprise that the three harmonize wonderfully. After a
brief period of feeling each other out, quick, excited movements set in, and
the musical molecules whirl around in a frenzy. Sharp contrasts – especially
between Taylor’s longer, sweeping notes on the one hand and Keune’s hard
riffs and Serries’ Derek-Bailey-inspired, sometimes brittle playing on the
other – meet contemplative phases (right in the first piece after three
minutes). But more often than not, the players dart around each other, into
each other, and away from each other. The most interesting moments, however,
are those of silence, when Keune escapes into barely hearable, extremely
high registers or when delicate breaths meet the gentle scratching sounds of
the guitar and long notes of the viola only to start again at breakneck
speed (both also in the first piece). This varied play of sonic ricochets is
hidden across four tracks, with Serries providing the textures, Taylor the
verbosity, and Keune the hectic and breathless figures. Since no one pushes
themselves into the spotlight, tension and dynamics are always guaranteed.
The highlight of the studio recording is the last piece, in which the ideas
and playing styles of the first three tracks culminate. Keune’s saxophone
wanders wonderfully between Taylor’s bowed lines and Serries’ blurred
chords. The timing is perfect, creating pure beauty in dissonance.
If you like European improvised music in the sense of sound exploration,
this album is for you. A definite recommendation.
Closer and Beyond is available as a CD and as a download.