No Spaghetti Edition's fourth album features yet another lineup. Engaging in free improvisation with core members Tonny Kluften (double bass),
Ingar Zach (percussion), and
Ivar Grydeland (guitar and banjo on these recordings) are pianist Christian Wallumrød, clarinetist
Xavier Charles (also heard on harmonica), and
Martin Tétreault on turntables and small electronics.
Sketches of a Fusion is an apt title for this album, as these recordings rank among the collective's most sparse and naked yet. The music's momentum often holds on only by a thread -- a high-pitched clarinet wail, a quiet texture of white noise. The album consists of two extended pieces recorded on October 31 and November 1, 2005, at a festival in Eidsvoll, Norway.
Tétreault is heard here in his serious, textural mood instead of his wacky, quote-heavy persona. Wallumrød's quiet and extremely slow ostinatos set an awkward yet persistent pace in parts of "Dark" (26 minutes), letting the other musicians graze a bit in gritty pastures. On the other hand, "Black" (18 minutes) is all about experimenting with the finest, most subtle extended techniques, while keeping things very quiet, on the constant verge of self-destruction. Connoisseurs of quiet free improvisation will find this album enjoyable, but possibly less fulfilling or enthralling than
No Spaghetti Edition's previous two discs. For instance,
Real Time Satellite Data was just as quiet, but it featured more uplifting interaction, while this one lacks that special something. ~ François Couture