SYMBIOSIS ORCHESTRA: Live Journeys (Baskaru)

By

Posted on Feb 24th 2009 01:06 am

Filed in Albums | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments (1)

Symbiosis Orchestra: Live Journeys

SYMBIOSIS ORCHESTRA
Live Journeys
KARU12
Baskaru 2009
11 Tracks. 38mins23secs

Icon: arrow Buy: CD | MP3 | iTunes

Encompassing everything from modern composition to experimental jazz to electronica, Symbiosis Orchestra is actually quite difficult to place. Originally the idea of Italian sound artist Andrea Gabriele, known as one half of electronic duos Pirandelo and Mou, Lips!, the formation, which includes musicians as diverse as Scanner’s Robin Rimbaud, Iris Garrelfs, Mario Masullo, all three known for their involvement with electronic music, as well as vibes player Stefano Tedesco, flutist Geoff Warren, violonist Diego, trumpetist Robereto di Egidio and pianist Michele Scurti, plus multi media artist Claudio Sinatti, blends in electronic and acoustic into surprisingly spacious and versatile compositions.

The eleven tracks featured here were recorded live during various performances, and feature multiple combinations of the aforementioned artists. The scope is therefore incredibly wide and vast, resounding with the vocal experiments of Iris Garrelfs, the breezy flow of di Egidio, the delicate flute motifs of Warren or the electronic soundscapes of Gabriele or Rimbaud, arranged into ever changing combinations, at times leaning clearly toward the calm spirituality of Nordic jazz or the urban bustle of electronica, at others revealing a much more angular contemporary slant or occasionally evoking the work of Maja Ratkje. Yet, despite this constantly shifting focus, Live Journeys is an incredibly tight and consistent record, which never ceases to surprise, impress and fascinate. Gabriele and co. pack so much here that it beggars belief it all fits in just forty minute.

Undoubtedly, the fluid aspect of Symbiosis Orchestra is also its strength. Where most formations would only manage to create increasingly disjointed compositions, lose themselves in the meanders of their conjectures and ultimately crumble under their own weight, Gabriele’s loose ensemble thrives on the constant flux of ideas and challenges that results of its variable geometry. Placed against sounds and genres they are not necessarily accustomed to, the various members rise to the challenge to create one truly inspired soundtrack.

4.9/5

Icon: arrow Symbiosis Orchestra (MySpace) | Baskaru
Icon: arrow Buy: CD | MP3 | iTunes

Filed in Albums | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Comments (1)

One Response to “SYMBIOSIS ORCHESTRA: Live Journeys (Baskaru)”

  1. THE 2009 REVIEW | themilkfactoryon 13 Dec 2009 at 7:55 pm

    […] ORCHESTRA Live Journeys […]