Panomorphia actually took several years to
produce, but the music is rooted in the tape delay improvisations I explored
three decades ago. Looping, as it’s
called now, is the music technology that allows the artist to generate multiple
layers of sound on sound, stacking melody and rhythm on the fly, creating spontaneous
compositions. But the method can be
unforgiving. As the music builds and
takes shape, each new layer is critical.
A note out of key, a strum out of time, a phrase out of context can send
the music in a different direction, spoil the mix entirely.
For me,
looping is just the starting point. It’s
the paved road, but not the journey. In
late 2008, I recorded a series of electric guitar improvisations. The recordings were made, usually late in the
evening, directly to a stereo recorder. During each session, I did my best to put
the day behind me, and play without expectations. Afterwards, the new tracks were set aside for
several months, in order to come back with the freshest ears possible. The best tracks were selected based on those
moments when I didn’t recognize my own playing, where perhaps, I had forgotten
the recorder was running, and found myself at the end of an hour long space
walk.
Next, in
came drummer Celso Alberti, bassist Michael Manring and trumpet/fluegal horn
player Jeff Oster, who recorded live to each loop performance. Sometimes responding to the ebb and flow of
the music, or finding a pulse and driving home their own orchestral
groove. I added new parts of my own,
building structure and melody. With each layer, the song evolved into something
new, but all in keeping with the spirit of the original performance.
Panomorphia will be released on April 2, 2012
Multiphase Records MP-CD117
