Jeff Henderson: The Charming Clarinet (iiii/bandcamp)

 |   |  1 min read

Lip Sticks
Jeff Henderson: The Charming Clarinet (iiii/bandcamp)

Multi-instrumentalist Jeff Henderson – last mentioned in these pages as part of UHP (Upper Hutt Posse) – must have one of the largest catalogues of anyone in this country: he has been releasing batches of live recordings which range from solo performances through duets and those with the band Trioglodytes.

A very hard man to keep up with, and what is notable also is just how consistently interesting these releases have been.

This one in wonderful packaging which replicates an old player's manual is really quite something.

The first two pieces – the title track opener a transfixing 17-plus minutes, the second Lip Sticks a touch over seven – are solo clarinet pieces but the first more akin to the minimalism of early Steve Reich in its hypnotic repetition, subtle tonal and pitch shifts, the second seemingly located somewhere in the exotic Middle East but again captivating in its use of what seems to be multi-tracking and delay.

Neither bring to mind Benny Goodman.

Elsewhere Henderson uses clarinet like an experimental sonic circus toy capable of animal-like sounds (the more demanding but kinda-fun Seek Larry Nut), Balouchi Bop circles back to the Middle East and minimalism, and the final piece Eleclarinetics is Henderson with electronic artist Isaac Smith in a quizzical dialogue where the eccentricities Henderson pulls out have a lively counterpart in the electronica.

With live sound manipulations by Daniel Behan, this album might not charm in quite the way the album title suggests (the flatulence in Eleclarinetics) but the two openers and Balouchi Bop are quite extraordinary and certainly unexpected.

.

You can hear and buy this album at the extensive iiii Records bandcamp page here



Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Further Outwhere articles index

Wailing Urei: Is It Me? (bandcamp)

Wailing Urei: Is It Me? (bandcamp)

As regular readers of Elsewhere know, we find our music where we will – deep trawl, accident, suggestions, record company emails, pals – but obviously not everything takes our... > Read more

Giannouli/Thorne/Garden: Rewa (Rattle)

Giannouli/Thorne/Garden: Rewa (Rattle)

Releases on Auckland's Rattle label seem now to fall into a few distinct categories: There is Essential, Important and last -- but far from least -- is Fascinating (But For A Select).... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

Roy Budd: Get Carter soundtrack (Silva Screen/Southbound)

Roy Budd: Get Carter soundtrack (Silva Screen/Southbound)

The classic Brit-film Get Carter of '71 -- Michael Caine in a career-defining role as a London gangster out for revenge in grim Newcastle -- could have come with a period soundtrack, but Bowie and... > Read more

Horace Andy: Midnight Rocker (On-U Sound)

Horace Andy: Midnight Rocker (On-U Sound)

At 71, the great reggae singer Horace Andy needs no House-like rediscovery because he always been active, most familiarly through guest appearances on Massive Attack albums. He brought his... > Read more