Aves

FRANÇOIS HOULE & HÅVARD WIIK: Aves
Songlines, 2013

AVANT-JAZZ – Clarinet/piano duets, with tons of space around the slow, aching phrases, but occasionally it gets energetic and quite spiky. Houle stretches, flutters, and groans within Wiik’s abstract shapes.

Fo’s Picks: 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14

1. 5:57 – relaxed pace: undulating piano & angular clarinet, dense midsection
2. 6:00 – slow & spooky: twin clarinets in unison, piano rises & swirls
3. 4:22 – slow: sneaks through the shadows, dances, spins
4. 6:09 – starts dark, gets hopping, wild and swirling, rhythmic ending
5. 5:07 – fragile, aching solo piano, lots of space and brief pauses
6. 3:45 – solo clarinet, stretched out thin as a spider web across the silence
7. 4:16 – soft whispers and slow, quiet meditation
8. 6:40 – minimalist prepared piano into gentle duo melody, briefly abstract
9. 5:09 – piano steps carefully, relaxed clarinet draped over top
10. 4:37 – abstract interplay, intersections of curving, looping lines
11. 5:08 – spooky alien sound: prepared piano, extended clarinet, calm middle
12. 3:54 – evokes a bird: solo clarinet pops and flutters
13. 2:42 – creaky clarinet wavers, piano jabs and darts lightly
14. 5:24 – dark but lively jazz duet: piano rumbles & drives, aggressive clarinet

[ Fo ] - 5 January 2014