Freedom Of The City 2004 (Small Groups)

Emanem owner Martin Davidson was in charge of the second day of the fourth edition of the Freedom of the City festival. And he dutifully documented it, as he had done with previous editions. This two-CD, 153-minute set features six groups, ranging from solo performers to sextets, a palette that brings a lot of variety to the mix. Disc one features three sets, the longest and most unorthodox being a sequence of four duets by Clive Bell and Sylvia Hallett. These two have been performing together previously, but this half hour of material is their first recording available (Emanem released their studio debut, The Geographers, soon after). Their blend of unusual instrumentation (Far Eastern folk instruments and bicycle wheel) and cheerful interaction provides one of the album's highlights. Trombone master Paul Rutherford delivers a very fine but otherwise unsurprising solo improvisation. The other group on disc one is a quintet put together by guitarist John Russell and featuring his associate of late, Stefan Keune, along with vocalist Phil Minton, violinist Philipp Wachsmann, and bassist Georg Wolf, the latter a new addition to the label's roster. Their 22-minute "Whithersoever" is a class act in European free improvisation. Disc two features three more groups, starting with an unusual incarnation of Chris Burn's Ensemble. Alongside longtime members John Butcher, Matt Hutchinson, and Jim Denley are guzheng player Clare Cooper and Will Guthrie on amplified percussion. Their presence brings a different flavor to the group's two pieces. Gail Brand (trombone) and Morgan Guberman (voice) can be heard on Ballgames & Crazy, one of Emanem's most striking releases of the early 2000s, and their 22-minute set here lives up to the originality of the studio album. Guberman is a force to reckon with, owing much to Phil Minton yet developing a voice of his own as he often resorts to actual words in order to fuel his phonetic inventions. Guitarist Roger Smith and drummer Louis Moholo form the unlikely pair of this edition and this, their very first meeting, features them looking for -- and finding -- common ground. Their studio CD The Butterfly and the Bee contains superior material, but this 36-minute trailer is surely worth your time. The sound quality is excellent as always, making Freedom of the City 2004 as essential a document as the previous releases. ~ François Couture|