Vesper Sparrow

グレナダ / ジャマイカン・アメリカンの黒人アーティスト、JJJJJEROME ELLIS。ライヴ・シアトリカル、パフォーマンス・アート、コンポジション、スポークンワードやストーリーテリングなどの表現方法を取り入れ、サックス、オルガン、ハンマード・ダルシマー、エレクトロニクス、そして自身の声を用いて、独創性溢れるサウンドスケープを創造する大注目株の2NDアルバムがSHELTER PRESSよりCD / LPリリース。

JJJJJEROME ELLISというパフォーマンス名は、最も吃音が出る言葉が自身の名前であることに由来。幼少期には治療を受けた時期があったものの、中学1年でサックスを手にした瞬間に全てが変わることに。JJJJJEROMEは「今でもサックスを吹く時は吃るけど、それは違った類の吃りなんだ。」と語る。

2NDアルバム『VESPER SPARROW』は、「黒人の宗教的伝統と継承への繋がり」を元に、時間というレンズを通して、音楽と音、吃音、そして黒人性を追求するJJJJJEROMEのライフワークを形にした作品。カリビアン、ブラック・アメリカン・ミュージックを由来とするスポークンワードの要素やジャズ、ブルース、を現代的なエクスペリメンタル・ミュージックの手法へ落とし込んだスピリチュアルで静謐な音楽性は多くの音楽ファンへアピールするはず。今年、同レーベルからリリースされ話題を呼んだELIANA GLASS『E』がお好みの方であれば間違いなく心奪われるであろう大スイセン盤です。

JJJJJerome Ellis spells their distinctive moniker in acknowledgment of their stutter, particularly when saying their own name, and their art explores themes including disability, Blackness, spirituality, and nature. Vesper Sparrow follows the double LP and book The Clearing as well as the poetry collection Aster of Ceremonies and the solo piano work Compline in Nine Movements. The album incorporates sung lyrics, spoken narration, electronic processing, improvisation, and tapestries of acoustic instrumentation. Ellis particularly utilizes granular synthesis in order to suspend fragments of sound, making a connection between stuttered speech and glitching, skipping electronic textures. They even explain their use of granular synthesis during the multi-part "Evensong," comparing it to a release of pollen. They open the album by declaring that "The stutter can be a musical instrument" before launching into a gorgeous procession of hammered dulcimer, saxophone, and comforting vocal repetitions. They then remark that the music was made during an artist residency in 2019, before the sound becomes clustered, and Ellis demonstrates their process in real time. The second part adds layers of distortion, transforming it into a thick, hazy swirl, yet Ellis saxophone playing is a clear guiding force. The two lengthy "Sparrow" pieces in the middle of the album are patient meditations that break away from the busier pace of the "Evensong"s. "Savannah Sparrow (for and after Kenita Miller)" layers pipe organ drone with wisps of saxophone, gradually growing fuller and more expressive before Ellis vulnerable, longing vocals appear. The fourth and final part of "Evensong" is earthy and joyous, sounding like a roomful of musicians dancing together and celebrating life, though it appears to be created by a multi-tracked Ellis alone. Ellis work is perpetually filled with hope, always finding a way through. ~ Paul Simpson