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CD Reviews: HUGH HOPPER/MATT HOWARTH : The Stolen Hour (Burning Shed. bshed 0204)
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Posted by: Adminon Tuesday, November 23, 2004 - 12:00 AM |
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Paul Donnelly
Hopper can always be relied upon to produce interesting collaborative work, previous cds, like ‘Jazzloops’ on Burning Shed, being good examples, as well as his transatlantic recording with the power trio Bone. This time he has joined forces with comic strip artist Howarth who provides the graphics via a PDF file on the cd. Also involved are long time associates like, Robert Wyatt, Frank van der Kooy, Didier Malherbe, Pierre-Olivier Govin and John Marshall.
The graphics are a narrative response to the Australian government starting Daylight Saving Time three months earlier than usual during the 2000 Olympics at the behest of international media networks. This apparently resulting in ‘screwing with everybody’s head’ according to Howarth. Whatever the effect on the general populace, it has produced a humorously eccentric comic for which Hopper has composed a sort of soundtrack that is, in itself, suitably idiosyncratic.
Once more the primary focus is on creating loops and then carefully building layers of compatible extracts from the above players. Hopper takes the bass and guitar duties as well as some rhythmic looping and constructs a diverse set of soundscapes that explore the possibilities of both rhythm and melody. For instance, on the first track he fuses a loping rhythm loop with Robert Wyatt’s clear lyrical cornet then, on ‘Complications At Work’ sets up a ponderous bass riff over which the twin saxes of Frank van der Kooy and Pierre-Olivier Govin twist and spiral. There is a very satisfying combination of light and dark texture here.
On ‘The Long Drive’ Hopper’s loops are densely melodic while Govin’s sax gently flutters and echoes. Wyatt also makes another interesting appearance on ‘Mia’s Timely Emergence From The East’, using both his wonderful voice and cornet again to create a set of seemingly suspended loops that drift in the ether above Hopper’s backward tapes. The effect is trance-like and eerie as the voice samples collide with looped repetitions. Wyatt’s unique talents are also deftly deployed on ‘An Unregulated Sunset’ as his cornet sparingly ghosts alongside a warmth of fuzz bass from the man who practically invented the sound.
Possibly one the most memorable pieces though is ‘Compatibility’ where Hopper has produced a loop of mellotron-like chords as a canvas for Govin’s rich melodic improvisations. This time the overall atmosphere is soothing and stately, washing over the listener but never sinking into the realms of the anodyne.
Whilst this music is never going to reach a massive audience its textural and improvisational qualities should ensure that it appeals to those who love jazz and more electronically exploratory musics. Long may Hopper and company continue to plough their own endlessly inventive musical furrow.
Paul Donnelly
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