33.3 - Plays Music
(Aesthetics)

Threnody Ensemble - Timbre Hollow
(New Albion)

Threnody Ensemble is a multi-genre chamber orchestra. When the three person band is joined by other instruments to round out the orchestra, their sound is much more adventurous, like in the three part, 33 minute "ThaRoman (formerly Valerie White)." The band jumps from lulling string tones to straight classical to Latin jazz and back to straight classical with ease, not missing any chance for an off-the-cuff experiment in musical style. However, when the three core musicians are by themselves (which I believe represent the older recordings on this release, the release spanning 3 years of sessions), there is less genre-jumping, giving the compositions more flow and continuity. Here, the musicians, with years of experience playing together, can play off each other and create music that lives and breathes. "The Machine" consists of guitar interplay against a backdrop of cello tones. There is a sort of symbiosis between Cerf and Hoversten on this song; when one guitarist starts a spritely traditional country/folk section, the second guitarist adapts, picking up the pace, keeping the song alive and flowing, and when one guitarist slows down the pace, the second guitarist reacts almost in unison. "Tension as Opposed to Tension" is equally as organic and much more dramatic. Here, the composition is allowed to build and decay, growing towards several climaxes only to be cutoff each time, drifting away to quieter sections.

33.3 is more of a light jazz and pop band, still very orchestrated but more upbeat and less epic and grandiose. Plays Music is the band's second release, and since their debut the band has added two new musicians, William Noland on double bass and Joseph Grimm on trumpet and trumbone. These additions do much for the band's sound, transforming them from somewhat ordinary stripped-down chamber pop to a richer jazz feel. 33.3 lets Davison's cello seep through and even take the lead, something not heard much in Threnody Ensemble. "An Open Letter to Buckminster Fuller" starts off using Alfred's electric guitar prominently with Davison's cello backing. As the light, rolling drums come in and Grimm's trumpet adds a two note repetition, Davison's cello shimmers, taking over the central melody. Each member of the band is of equal importance here though; it is outstanding how quickly the band has adapted to adding bass and brass to their arrangements. Grimm's presence really takes the band to the next level from averagely good band to very good band. The band wastes no time introducing him and Noland, as "Power Failure at the U.N.," the album's outstanding first track, features smooth trumpet playing lead in the first section and a bass and blaring trumpet duet in the second. In "Oval Cast as Circle," the three lead instruments, cello, guitar, and trumpet, merge beautifully, starting off with a pairing of guitar and cello but letting the trumpet blend in, kick the guitar out, let the guitar step back in, etc., switching lead instruments several times but still keeping up with the drummer's steady, quick pace.

Threnody Ensemble and 33.3 are closely related but create very different music. The foundation of Threnody Ensemble is classical music. Their compositions have lengthy duration and are more concerned with building tension and mood than being pleasing to the ears. 33.3 is the opposite; their sounds are made to be aurally pleasing with little effort towards building tension, sounding more like a jazz-influenced pop band. The two albums are very good but in very different ways.

jim steed 2000 oct 3