This bit of academic-sounding experimentalism is by a trio of young Wesleyan University students (presumably students of that school's resident guru of the avant-garde,
Anthony Braxton). The record has perhaps the most annoying first several minutes ever heard -- a single, presumably electronically generated drone, joined at intervals by oboe and saxophone. Minimal? Yes, extremely. Groundbreaking? No.
La Monte Young was doing this sort of thing when these guys' parents were in diapers. Not to be too hard on them -- this is just the sort of project curious young minds do on their way to something more original and substantive. It should be said that not all the album is as sparse as the first 15 minutes or so; the music can get quite dense. While none of the three musicians are as yet well-formed instrumentalists, they eventually do some deep listening and create some occasionally affecting music. They also integrate electronics into the proceedings, which wakes things up a bit. Overall, there's an unformed feeling to this music. Perhaps in a few years listeners will hear this record as a harbinger of bigger things. So keep your eyes on the members of
CCM4, who should in the meantime be commended for their ambition. On its own merits, however, this particular record is not that interesting.