cajid 009cd

VELLUS

james rushford

Incorporating wildly coloured orchestrations and unusual performance actions, set against intense monochromes of noises and whispers, Vellus is a collection of chamber works that obsessively deals with the privacy of ritual, memory and the self. Diverse takes on instrumental concrète by this young Australian composer.

“This is a cracker of a CD, one of the best sound art releases I have heard.” (from Chris Reid’s review below)

"probably THE debut release of the last couple of years or so" (from Massiomo Ricci's review below)

TRACK LISTING

1-3 Lucas Stumbles (2007)

“Speak Percussion” (Eugene Ughettti, Greg Sully, Mathias Schack-Arnott, Anna Webb) with James Rushford (electronics). Running time:2:05, 2:04, 2:07 Total 6:16)

4-5 Respite in the Woodland (2007)

Aviva Endean (clarinets), James Rushford (chamber organ). Running time:3:15, 4:28 Total 7:43)

6 La Madre (2006)

Deborah Kayser (soprano), Jessica Ashodi (soprano), Josephine Vains (cello), Eugene Ughettti (percussion), Natalie Grant (percussion), James Rushford (electronics). Text by Gabriela Mistral & James Rushford. Running time:9:55

7 Tractus (2006)

Zachary Johnston (violin/autoharp), Phoebe Green (violas), Judith Hamann (cello/glockenspiel), Chloe Smith (double bass, tam tam). Running time:9:39

8 *holdmegentlytightly (2006)

Sam Dunscombe (clarinets), James Rushford (electronics). Running time:9:33

9-10 Borders (2006)

Chloe Smith (double bass). Running time:3:46, 5:41 Total 9:27

All compositions by James Rushford. © James Rushford

Produced by James Rushford and Chris Lawson with assistance from Anthony Pateras.

Engineered / mixed / mastered by Chris Lawson @ ABC Melbourne 01/08-03/08

LISTEN

Lucas stumbles 1 (excerpt)

mp3 0:42 min 1.3Mb

Tractus (excerpt)

mp3 0:48 min 1.49Mb

REVIEWS

Paris Transatlantic

Massimo Ricci

More good news from Melbourne, home of young James Rushford, a multitalented composer operating in "intermedia, installation and recorded mediums" who's studied with the likes of Robert Ashley, Phill Niblock, Marcus Schmickler, Fred Frith and Michael Pisaro. Vellus, Rushford's first album, delivers in style: influences aside, what shines throughout the set is an independent mind and a unique compositional personality. "Lucas Stumbles", featuring the Speak Percussion ensemble, is what you get when youthful percussionists put their fingers in an electric outlet while playing a Naked City disc after a night of soul-searching. "Respite in the Woodland", for clarinets and chamber organ, juxtaposes a terse, ventilated directness and the internal mechanisms of a humongous generator of murmuring pulses and piercing glissandi; it manages to not sound quite like anything else, although it wouldn't be entirely out of place on Creative Sources. "La Madre", for female vocalist, cello, electronics and percussion, is a meticulous deployment of humanity and altered mental states among mottled contrapuntal splashes and awakening jolts. A personal favourite is "Tractus", scored for violin, violas, autoharp, cello, glockenspiel, double bass and tam-tam, where the music's distinctive jargon evolves out of the peculiar resonances of certain instrumental pairings; the musicians handle the material with monstrous technical ability and hypersensitive reciprocal listening and intuition. Clarinets and electronics define the colours of "*holdmegentlytightly", a cross between fplrsrflrsplsflsfrrr (copyright Dan Warburton), faint harmonics and "regular" notes augmented by extended techniques, electronic emissions dialoguing with a rather nervous, unstable interlocutor until the ear-scathing termination. "Borders" ends the program with solo double bass, in a commendable performance by Chloe Smith, who seems in complete control of dynamics, spacing and shading. It sets an admirable seal to a scintillating release – probably THE debut release of the last couple of years or so.–MR

Realtime (Earbash)

Chris Reid

This is a cracker of a CD, one of the best sound art releases I have heard. Rushford is a young composer and performer who has assembled some fine musicians to record his work. What is especially striking is the production, which is clear and articulate, with an intimate sound-stage so that the music envelops you, recreating the immersive effect of the typical multi-speaker sound art concert venue, and demanding a robust, quality stereo system that can accurately reproduce the entire audible frequency range.

It opens with the energetic three movement work “Lucas Stumbles” (2007) for Speak Percussion (Eugene Ughetti, Matthias Schack-Arnott, Greg Sully, Anna Webb) and electronics. Speak uses a variety of instruments, as well as voice, in an absorbing piece characterised by a kind of gestural, even theatrical lyricism. This is followed by a two-part work, “Respite in the Woodland” (2007), for clarinets (Aviva Endean) and chamber organ (Rushford), a more meditative piece that contrasts the breathiness of the clarinets with that of the organ. Opening with some gentle, quizzical melodic lines, the work then proceeds to explore the capacities of the instruments to blend and create evocative sonic effects, returning periodically to melodic figures as a daydreamer returns to purposive thought.

The outstanding work on the CD is “La Madre” (2006), for an ensemble comprising two sopranos, cello, percussion and electronics. “La Madre” has a strongly theatrical flavour, full of teasing sounds that evoke a complex drama. This is followed by the highly expressive “Tractus” (2006), for autoharp, violin, viola, cello, double bass, tam-tam and glockenspiel, which exemplifies Rushford’s acute and powerful writing.

Central to all the works on this CD are contrasting pitch, timbre, colour, dynamics and sonic blending. But also important are the music’s formal development and resolution. Rushford’s are well crafted compositions, where ‘resolution’ can be found structurally and timbrally. What works particularly well is his juxtaposition of electronic and acoustic instruments. Sound art can sometimes disappoint through the coldness of electronic instrumentation, and combining acoustic instruments with electronics can be like combining oil paint with a screen saver—it can work conceptually but fail to stir the soul. Rushford, however, uses electronics in subtle ways that meld with the other instruments, sometimes augmenting or heightening an acoustic sound, for example in “holdmegentlytightly” (2006) for Sam Dunscombe’s vibrant clarinet and Rushford’s own electronics, and sometimes contrasting it, for example in “La Madre”, where a periodic drone of seismic intensity suggests that the world is vibrating beneath our feet. There are also moments where the acoustic instruments seem to represent actors and the electronics suggest the audience’s internal, subjective responses.

Importantly, the use of timbre is not merely exploratory but is integral to the composition. For example, Endean’s beautiful clarinet notes in “Respite in the Woodland” are used to create a wonderfully haunting effect, as if the listener is groping blindfolded in a labyrinthine forest, observed by goblins and spirits. Shifts in timbre can be used to resolve moments of tension—or to leave them unresolved. Overall, Rushford’s choice of instrumentation works very well. He allows the performers scope to display their abilities while foregrounding the unique sonic properties of the instruments that underpin the composition. This makes for enchanting music.

Vellus concludes with the deeply introspective “Borders” (2006), a two-movement solo for Chloe Smith’s magnificent double bass, where the composer and the performer hold the emotional tension wonderfully. This final piece exemplifies the strengths of this CD: the writing and arranging, supported by great performances.

Vital Weekly

This one brings us to Australia. Cajid media is a small label dedicated to experimental music and sound art by Australian artists and musicians, like Thembi Soddell, Lawrence English, Natasha Anderson, a.o. This ninth release presents work by James Rushford, a young Melbourne-based composer and performer, interested in a diverse range of contemporary music. 'Vellus' brings together six compositions. It is hard to imagine that these works are composed by a 23-year old person. Rushford is in most compositions also one of the performers, mostly playing electronics. The unconventional combinations of instruments is what strikes me first. The CD opens with 'Lucas Stumbles', a work in three parts, for speak-percussion and electronics. The first two parts are very calm. In the third part however we witness an explosion of percussive sounds. This play with dynamics is one the characteristics of his style. In 'La Madre' we hear the voices of two sopranos, plus cello and electronics. This piece satisfied me most of all, because of the expressive vocal work by Deborah Kayser and Jessica Aszodi. 'Tractus' is written for a diversity of string instruments plus tam-tam. It is a very dynamic work, played with verve by the musicians. Clarinet and electronics do an interesting noisy research on sound and textures in 'Holdmegentlytightly'. In 'Respite in the Woodland' clarinets and chamber organ are combined. The CD closes with 'Borders' a work for solo double bass. Rushford proves himself a very disciplined composer. He is both not afraid of silence and noise. In each composition he works with a limited set of sounds and musical ideas. This way he creates interesting works that didn't bore me one moment. Although this is modern composed music, there is a certain roughness and power in the music that make it very charming. So all in all a satisfying debut from Rushford, a composer with considerable potential. (DM)