MARTIN PYNE - Spirit Of Absent Dancers
Discus: 98CD
Martin Pyne: vibraphone, drums, percussion, toy piano
Recorded in May and June 2020 by David Beebee at Beeboss Studio
Across a series of 19 pieces, range from 1’30 to 4’441 ( but averaging around the 3’ mark) Pyne reflects on the impact of covid-19 on music and dance. As he says in the liner notes, much of his life as a professional musician has been spent accompanying dancers and with lock-down this activity has paused. “I found myself imagining a lone musician in a deserted theatre, like a kind of medicine man, throwing sounds into the space in attempt to conjure up ghosts of dancers no longer present…” The titles of the pieces reflect this with variations on magical incantations or practice (‘Summoning’, ‘Conjure’, ‘Charm’, ‘Hexing’, ‘Hocus Pocus’, ‘Bewitch’, ‘Enchantment’) and the summoned spirits (‘Presence’, ‘Umbra’, ‘Banshee’,’ Visitant’, ‘Wraith’, ‘Sprite’). The magic tends to relate to drumming and the spirits to the toy piano, Japanese bowls or vibraphone. The resulting pieces do more than mourn the impact of the current pandemic (harsh though this is) and also reflect on the relationship between the making of music and its interpretation through movement in dance. The pieces alternate between a small drum kit on which he creates rich, rhythmic textures to inspire dancers, and meditative pieces that work variations on the opening tune. This is called ‘Summoning’ and is placed on toy piano and Japanese bowls – a theme whose simplicity force you to hold your breath and imagine the stillness of an empty theatre. It is slightly spooky and, like the other pieces that work this theme, is much less about movement and more about stillness. Perhaps once the spirits of dancers appear, they are awe-struck by being on stage, waiting to dance, and pacing to and fro before they respond to Pyne’s magical drumming. Or perhaps it is these variations on the theme to Pyne is using to capture the stillness of the dancers of the Images Ballet Company on the CD cover – frozen in time and waiting for the moment when they are released from the spell of lock-down and summoned to perform again.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
Discus: 98CD
Martin Pyne: vibraphone, drums, percussion, toy piano
Recorded in May and June 2020 by David Beebee at Beeboss Studio
Across a series of 19 pieces, range from 1’30 to 4’441 ( but averaging around the 3’ mark) Pyne reflects on the impact of covid-19 on music and dance. As he says in the liner notes, much of his life as a professional musician has been spent accompanying dancers and with lock-down this activity has paused. “I found myself imagining a lone musician in a deserted theatre, like a kind of medicine man, throwing sounds into the space in attempt to conjure up ghosts of dancers no longer present…” The titles of the pieces reflect this with variations on magical incantations or practice (‘Summoning’, ‘Conjure’, ‘Charm’, ‘Hexing’, ‘Hocus Pocus’, ‘Bewitch’, ‘Enchantment’) and the summoned spirits (‘Presence’, ‘Umbra’, ‘Banshee’,’ Visitant’, ‘Wraith’, ‘Sprite’). The magic tends to relate to drumming and the spirits to the toy piano, Japanese bowls or vibraphone. The resulting pieces do more than mourn the impact of the current pandemic (harsh though this is) and also reflect on the relationship between the making of music and its interpretation through movement in dance. The pieces alternate between a small drum kit on which he creates rich, rhythmic textures to inspire dancers, and meditative pieces that work variations on the opening tune. This is called ‘Summoning’ and is placed on toy piano and Japanese bowls – a theme whose simplicity force you to hold your breath and imagine the stillness of an empty theatre. It is slightly spooky and, like the other pieces that work this theme, is much less about movement and more about stillness. Perhaps once the spirits of dancers appear, they are awe-struck by being on stage, waiting to dance, and pacing to and fro before they respond to Pyne’s magical drumming. Or perhaps it is these variations on the theme to Pyne is using to capture the stillness of the dancers of the Images Ballet Company on the CD cover – frozen in time and waiting for the moment when they are released from the spell of lock-down and summoned to perform again.
Reviewed by Chris Baber
