Tuesday night, the historic Palais Royale hosted the opening night gala of the third annual X Avant Festival in Toronto with a truly unique collaboration: "Hymn to the Universe," performed by the Sun Ra Arkestra with the dance troupe Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie.
Having not experienced an interpretive dance performance since high school, I reserved a degree of skepticism towards the idea of accompanying free space jazz with dance. However, the dances were choreographed more as movement pieces, which were more theatrical in nature.
Not having a comprehensive knowledge of the Sun Ra catalog became an afterthought as well. The three sections to the performance showcased a wide variety of jazz forms, with more traditional pieces (like the opener, Duke Ellington's "Black and Tan Fantasy") flawlessly offsetting the more freakout Sun Ra compositions (like the chaotic "Sea of Sounds," off Space is the Place), with the set punctuated with new pieces by Arkestra leader Marshall Allen.
The clear highlight of the night was drawn from the Sun Ra piece"We Travel the Spaceways," a sly piece of bebop performed penultimately with the dancers inviting the crowd to the dancefloor to
The romanticism of Sun Ra's mythology is a truly transcendant power; believing so heartily in his otherworldlieness lead him to create truly alien music, with an incredibly positive attitude towards the possibilities of sound. Hearing this celebration of music coalesce with the Compagnie's contortions, I felt the ideas shouldn't work, but the power of believing is above non-believers. And believing is always more fun.
Night 2 took things to the underground, literally and figuratively. Toronto acts Ghostlight and Heavy Water contributed to Brave Neu! Worlds: A Tribute to Klaus Dinger. Dinger was the drummer for the krautrock band Neu!, and the pioneer of the "motorik" beat. This beat has been a significant influence on various forms of alternative music since its inceptive. Named after the "driving" feel of the beat, it is a relentless pulsation that carries the weight of free form improvisation on top of it. Neu!'s overall sound wasn't as wild as some of their fellow krauts; their vibe was more like Kraftwerk with live instrumentation. However, the unwavering sound they created
Heavy Water's ambient sounds and visuals, comprised of samples of Dinger's work, lulled the audience trance before the expanded Ghostlight collective took to the stage. Featuring upwards of fourteen members at peak, the performance consisted of a two-hour improvisation built around the motorik beat (propelled by a dual drum setup), with several guitars and basses creating a noise frenzy that stayed true to Neu!'s ever-present feeling of hope and constructivism. With performers freely leaving and returning onstage through the night, the sound never stopped, though beats were sometimes traded for guitar loops during the more freeform sections. The beat would always return for a new movement, pushing the musicians to create something new and unique under this strict framework. Feeling overwhelmed after 90 minutes of these movements, I left early, but not disheartened. I didn't want to know how it ended, and it left me excited with the possibilities for the rest of the festival.
Neu! - Neu! (1972): http://www.mediafire.com/?nnyljytgjhq
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