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Dörner / Kelley / Neumann / Rainey
Houston TX, 21 September 2001
by Frank Rubolino
January 2002
 These
four ethereal players from two continents had the patience and empathetic
understanding of their mission statement to construct a session built
solely on the careful search for undiluted sound. Axel Dörner,
Greg Kelley, and Bhob Rainey began with conventional articulation
but soon switched gears and began taking apart their brass and woodwind
instruments. They produced sensitive, gushing sounds from the various
separated components, albeit the sounds were at times nearly inaudible.
Breath gasps, scraping and grating abrasions, tonguing movements,
and sheer wind generation all come together in a portrait of non-music
that was driven by the cautious, introspective selection of electronic
stimulation by Andrea Neumann.
Neumann
manipulated a wired string assemblage that resembled the inside body
of a piano. She used household utensils and various other objects
that were massaged or struck against the strings to create sounds
ranging from ringing buzzes to nerve-shattering static. Neumann’s
movements caused the hardware to emit either sensitive nuances or
overt forms of electronic noise, and by carefully selecting the right
implement, she controlled the pace of the session.
Dörner
was also a controlling factor, punching at his powerbook computer
to augment the tonal output. Inputting commands through his keyboard
was an exercise he did more than actually play his trumpet. Kelley
and Rainey continually experimented with the disassembled parts of
their horns, seeking to find the right complementary tonal fragment
that would fit the complex puzzle they all were assembling.
This type of performance required the audience to be absolutely still
and attentive, and in fact it was so quiet that on several occasions,
the remote sound of a distant train whistle could be heard above the
music of the players. Their performance was an overly serious event
where the creation of all forms of sound contributed to a total sonic
portrait lacking any semblance of musical flow. They never varied
from this track, and the result was stark, desolate music requiring
great perseverance to understand, let alone enjoy.
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