Mats Gustafsson - Hidros 9 Mirrors (Live) '2023

Tracks list

Prolific Swedish saxophonist and composer Mats Gustafsson's most ambitious
project yet, 'Hidros 9 - Mirrors' is a continuation of 2019's 'Hidros o.T', and
uses artist Mathias Pöschl's mirrored forms to inspire a composition for 27
musicians: two nine-member "mirror" ensembles, and a group of soloists that
includes the great Colin Stetson.

Gustafsson has been working on his Hidros project since 1997, when he recorded
'Hidros One' in Stockholm with nine improvisers, tape and conductor. He's
expanded its scope over the years, but still sticks to the same set of rules:
each session is a composed improvisation that uses graphic scores, with each
exploring a new theme and using a fresh set of players. He's approached the
music of Little Richard ('Hidros 6 - Knockin'), dedicated a set to Patti Smith
('Hidros 3') and untangled Frank Zappa ('Hidros 7 - Zap'), and now he's trying
something a bit different. 'Hidros 9 - Mirrors' uses art as its guide, drawing
from Pöschl's unusual structures and attempting to map those cracked mirrors
to the music. To manage this, Gustafsson used an ensemble from Norway and one
from Poland, with another set of soloists. As conductor, he controlled these
three distinct instrumental groups with three types of graphical scores,
predetermining tempo, dynamics and sonic density but leaving room for
improvisation.

We get our first good example of the technique on 'Mirrors 1', that neatly winds
the three ensemble's electronic elements around stark instrumental scrapes,
knocks and blasts. Gustafsson is careful not to overwhelm the senses;
Pöschl's art is subtle and gestural, and the music follows this guide, rarely
lapsing into the skronky free jazz blowout that you might expect. Rhythmic
ticking sounds are diffused into subterranean horn warbles, and when Stetson's
unmistakable solo cuts through, it's like a burst of light in the darkness. It
doesn't last too long, and we're back to faint clunks and ricochets again, lying
in wait for Hedvig Mollestad's distorted, blues-tinted riffs. 

Each piece follows a similar formula, but the instrumentation is flipped: on
'Shadows 2' we can hear Ida Løvli Hidle and Zbigniew Chojnacki on accordion,
Dieb13's turntable manipulations and Jerome Noetinger's reel-to-reel tape
scratches; on 'Reflection' the string section gets its moment to shine, building
confidently alongside experimental electronic gurgles; and on 'Echoes 1',
Per-Ã…ke Holmlander's tuba goes toe-to-toe with acidic noise and wonked
cello. Needless to say, if you fancy hearing what it sounds like at the
intersection of free improv, musique concrète, classical minimalism and
turntablism, 'Hidros 9 - Mirrors' has you covered.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Mats Gustafsson - Hidros 9 Intro (feat. Hedvig Mollestad & Colin Stetson)
[Live] (6:13)
1.02 - Mats Gustafsson - Hidros 9 Mirrors 1 (Live) (18:41)
1.03 - Mats Gustafsson - Hidros 9 Shadows 1 (Live) (10:16)
1.04 - Mats Gustafsson - Hidros 9 Echoes 1 (Live) (2:56)
1.05 - Mats Gustafsson - Hidros 9 Reflection (Live) (7:44)
1.06 - Mats Gustafsson - Hidros 9 Echoes 2 (Live) (3:33)
1.07 - Mats Gustafsson - Hidros 9 Shadows 2 (Live) (10:27)
1.08 - Mats Gustafsson - Hidros 9 Mirrors (Live) (13:20)
1.09 - Mats Gustafsson - Hidros 9 Outro (Live) (3:46)

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