review from earlabs.org
John Clair & Jed Shahar - Tennis
RATED: 9,5 / 10 reviewed by Larry Johnson
10-7-2008
Back in early 2007, the names John Clair and Jed Shahar became known to me with their release of serrated electro-acoustic noise Avner’s Arrival on the Conv netlabel. Tennis is their debut physical release consisting of four tracks (40 minutes) of pleasingly lo-fi improvised noisiness.
John Clair and Jed Shahar having been playing improvised music together in New York for about a decade. Working initially within the free jazz vein, during the past few years they’ve expanded their musical repertoire to include electro-acoustic improvisation. The “ingredients” of their recordings include field recordings, metal plates (scraping, vibrating), contact microphones, motorized devices, 2-string table-top guitar, guitar pickups, MP3-player, saxophone, piano, singing bowl, gong, feedback, and other miscellaneous devices/items.
While Avner’s Arrival is a more spontaneous and fragmented recording, Tennis has a generaly more focused and continuous feel. The first track (Car Chase) and the fourth track (Rigid Terrific Hiatus) lean more towards thick, noisy, moderately abrasive drones - lots of coarse noise, electric hum and sizzle with the later brimming with a unmistakable threatening ambiance. The second track (Silver Leaf Linden) is for the most part a beautiful experiment in delicate tones and feedback layered with field recordings and concluding with a gently undulating drone segment and a bit of cacophony (including what seems like the unintelligible babble of a baby). Track three (Drop and Dreg) is an abstract, fluctuating collage of feedback, chiming tones, percussive noises, metallic vibrations, droning machine noise, field recordings (voices, birds), and other assorted, unidentifiable noises.
Track lengths are just right for these kinds of challenging sounds ranging from just under seven minutes to exactly thirteen - enough time to communicate what needs to be said without a lot of unneeded repetition. Recommended listening for any fan of abstract electro-acoustic improvised noise or for anyone wanting to sample this genre without being put off by the lengthy durations that often accompany this style of music.
RATED: 9,5 / 10 reviewed by Larry Johnson
10-7-2008
Back in early 2007, the names John Clair and Jed Shahar became known to me with their release of serrated electro-acoustic noise Avner’s Arrival on the Conv netlabel. Tennis is their debut physical release consisting of four tracks (40 minutes) of pleasingly lo-fi improvised noisiness.
John Clair and Jed Shahar having been playing improvised music together in New York for about a decade. Working initially within the free jazz vein, during the past few years they’ve expanded their musical repertoire to include electro-acoustic improvisation. The “ingredients” of their recordings include field recordings, metal plates (scraping, vibrating), contact microphones, motorized devices, 2-string table-top guitar, guitar pickups, MP3-player, saxophone, piano, singing bowl, gong, feedback, and other miscellaneous devices/items.
While Avner’s Arrival is a more spontaneous and fragmented recording, Tennis has a generaly more focused and continuous feel. The first track (Car Chase) and the fourth track (Rigid Terrific Hiatus) lean more towards thick, noisy, moderately abrasive drones - lots of coarse noise, electric hum and sizzle with the later brimming with a unmistakable threatening ambiance. The second track (Silver Leaf Linden) is for the most part a beautiful experiment in delicate tones and feedback layered with field recordings and concluding with a gently undulating drone segment and a bit of cacophony (including what seems like the unintelligible babble of a baby). Track three (Drop and Dreg) is an abstract, fluctuating collage of feedback, chiming tones, percussive noises, metallic vibrations, droning machine noise, field recordings (voices, birds), and other assorted, unidentifiable noises.
Track lengths are just right for these kinds of challenging sounds ranging from just under seven minutes to exactly thirteen - enough time to communicate what needs to be said without a lot of unneeded repetition. Recommended listening for any fan of abstract electro-acoustic improvised noise or for anyone wanting to sample this genre without being put off by the lengthy durations that often accompany this style of music.