SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ORCHESTRA
Mouthpiece
Emanem
4039

The Spontaneous Music Orchestra’s previous Emanem release, For You To Share, is an important document of two powerful performances from 1970, which I return to frequently. The disc at hand takes us forward to 1973, with four gigs under SMO leader John Steven’s directed “Almost Free Improvisation,” as it says on the File Under. The twenty minute “In Relation To Silence” asks the players to play just that. There is lots of space for trumpet blow, mouthpiece breath, sustained notes, random percussion, and other interactions with each other and silence. It is interesting piece, but not a great one. Still, I’m glad to have it. Stevens is the only identified musician, as no notes were taken at these gigs, and here he plays cornet and no percussion. Producer Martin Davidson usually makes wise decisions, but for this piece I wish he didn’t cut the minutes of opening and closing silences, which he cut “since there is extraneous noise on the tape.” I think the fans of free improv discs, especially historical ones, wouldn’t be expected to buy this merely to show off their audio systems.

There is one instrumental “Sustained Piece” and one vocal. Both are drones. My favorite cut is the excellent “One-Two,” a playful, jaunty clip-clop piece where the musicians are directed to play or stop sustained or single notes on one of two beats. The results are wonderful. The twenty-four minute closer, “Mouthpiece,” starts with “non-vocal mouth sounds,” then vocal, then instruments. It starts of a bit slow, but gains momentum and ultimately is very exciting with some wonderful textures. It slowly fragments and fades, with pounding and claps added to the sounds and vocal; shushes, blurring the division betwene audience and performer. Fans like me will want all the SM Ensemble and SM Orchestra discs. Everyone should try For You To Share, then the SME discs, then this one.

Steve Koenig

Track Listing: 1. In Relation To Silence; 2. Sustained Piece (instrumental); 3. Sustained Piece (vocal); 4. One-Two; 5. Mouthpiece

Personnel: unlisted