SLAMCD247 K-Space – Bear Bones

A unique improvising trio made up of two cutting-edge British musicians – saxophonist, clarinettist, pianist and composer Tim Hodgkinson and drummer Ken Hyder, plus Gendos Chamzyryn, a Siberian shaman who is a master of the Kaargiraa throat-singing style.

Gendos Chamzyryn: vocals, percussion, amplified doshpulur, piano
Tim Hodgkinson: lap steel guitar, klarnet, electronics, processing, alto saxophone
Ken Hyder: drums, vocals, amplified ektara, sampling, electronics

“When Ken Hyder first heard shamanic music, it reminded him of the way Sunny Murray, who has Native American blood, speeds up and slows down in his playing, which is Against.. The… Rules. His subsequent research into Siberian and Tibetan music and his work with saxophonist Tim Hodgkinson and singer Gendos Chamzyryn in K-Space has largely been concerned with ways of playing in which there is no count-in but each player chooses his metre, the way a shaman chooses his own algysh. It returned Hyder to the kind of vernacular (or spiritual) music of the Scottish Highlands where a folk singer would vary his metre verse to verse and the members of a congregation, with or without precentor, would each sing according to an inner and personal rhythm and might dwell on a word or phrase without concern for a collective metre. This opens up vast and still troubling possibilities for jazz performance which Hyder has been exploring with K-Space, arguably the most radical and ‘eclectic’ improvising group of the last decade. Simultaneous time(s), no time.” – Brian Morton, The Wire

“Tim Hodgkinson has been one of the pillars of avant-garde England since his membership in the seminal group Henry Cow. Ken Hyder has worked in many areas of ethnic music. Both have studied the shamanic music of Siberia, but the heart and soul of K-Space is singer Gendos Chamzyryn, a shaman himself and one fantastic throat singer. Not another attempt at world fusion, Bear Bones presents experimental music stemming from a genuine Siberian background…Chamzyryn wails, drones, incantations and dances (the bells around his ankles transmit the impulse of his movements) find their place between the rock drumming and the free-form improvising…nothing can prepare you for the intensity and otherworldliness of this album. Highly recommended, especially to those interested in the ritualistic side of the music of Jackie-O Motherfucker, No-Neck Blues Band, or Acid Mothers Temple.” – François Couture, All Music Guide

“Followers of European and British improvised music will find this a rewarding and challenging listen…We introduced to Chamzyyn’s throat singing right from the start with the opening ‘Them Were Shocked Stall’ and once the ear has had chance to adjust to the unusual sounds produced the music start to fall into focus, as does the aptly titled ‘With The Help Of The Usual Instruments’ which has a more overtly stated rhythmic framework. Drawing on influences from Siberia and ethnic musics from throughout the world, along with the more familiar jazz-related sounds and techniques, listen out for Hodgkinson’s playing on clarinet and alto, this is a fascinating glimpse into the music of other countries and cultures (as on ‘With Mother Dancing’). As a listener I found myself drawn more and more into the sound world created by these three remarkable musicians, but as a reviewer I have struggled to find the words to accurately convey the feelings that the music has brought forth. Perhaps this is a good thing, a powerful reminder that music is a universal language, that says much more than can be conveyed by mere words on a page.” – Nick Lea, Jazz Views

Recorded in Siberian and European cities from 1996 to 2000.

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