Sounding Out Cathedral Cave – june 2023

a most welcome return to a spectacular location.

cathedral cave is a very unique and wonderful place both in terms of atmosphere and acoustics. this time, the weather gives a very different quality to the experience of the place. i have been walking in the area in blazing sunshine, swimming in the clear water of lakes surrounded by beautiful landscapes.

i arrive to the cave tired, warm and pretty blissed out from such stunning scenery. the cool space provides a nice shelter from the heat. and although it is still busy that late in the day, the imposing presence of this carved architecture sets a strong mood that is serene.

the name of cathedral cave is well deserved.

here, time stops.

and from the very fist notes, i enter that very special place fully.

both evenings, i play for a period of time, blending melodic passages, progressions, and overtones, taking advantage of this unique and powerful reverb. some sections play with the different effects the space offers – the interplay of tones in the sustain is fascinating… two notes linger and dance in the space and each interval a different pattern. each triad swirls a different spin.

although the space mostly inspires a gentle play of tones and melody, more angular shapes find their way in the improvisations. symmetrical structures bounce across the spectrum from one axis to the next. geometric shapes climb the raw surface of the rock. a little slack in the rope allows for smudges of movement. chromatic whirls send phases off-center. the space responds and blesses the ear with stunning sound effects.

 

 

 

the first line
alto saxophone, 13 june 2023
cathedral cave

 

blurred boundaries
alto saxophone, 13 june 2023
cathedral cave

 

the space in between
alto saxophone, 13 june 2023
cathedral cave

 

 

wind swept plains
alto saxophone, 14 june 2023
cathedral cave

 

slack bounce
alto saxophone, 14 june 2023
cathedral cave

 

a study of small shapes
alto saxophone, 14 june 2023
cathedral cave

 

Sounding Out Stoney Middleton St Martin’s 2022

i spent two days across moorland chasing after deer sounds, fawning across the fern and forests for close encounters. finally had a long and silent eye contact with the big dude. not a single sound. on the last evening, nearly out of earshot of constant distant traffic, i find antlers clashing and guttural calls… proved to be worth the wait.

for a change of scenery and ticks removed, i head down the valley to a small church in the village of stoney middleton, tucked away in the rocks. the space is open and bright, the sound welcoming. it is a quiet morning and the light filters through and gently lifts the faded colours of this interesting interior.

skylines
alto saxophone, 14 oct 2022
st martins, stoney middleton

   

harvest
alto saxophone, 14 oct 2022
st martins, stoney middleton

   

rolling free
alto saxophone, 14 oct 2022
st martins, stoney middleton

   

the bell calls
alto saxophone, 14 oct 2022
st martins, stoney middleton

   

   

French summer festival and more gigs

Following on from the previous post featuring sets of live improvisation in Jazz à Luz, here are another few videos shot during the summer i spent in the south of France.

I was invited to participate during the first edition of Festival La Poutre, near Toulouse. Short but sweet, crammed with brilliant acts and musicians, this very friendly and laidback event was like a bowl of fresh air. Of course, many interesting exchanges ensued. below is a couple of documents of a meeting with trumpet player and artist Rodriguez Walkind.

 

Festival La Poutre – the deck

 

Festival La Poutre – in the trees

 

These videos are made up of whatever footage i had. a lot of it is not sync, to make up for the gaps… still, a cool document of a significant first encounter.

 

The following videos have better footage and were filmed through two sets at the Pizzeria Bellefort in Toulouse where they have a regular programme of improvisation.

Cool wine cellar and free pizza, we had a real blast playing there. Heddy surprised us by inviting the brilliant flautist from Amsterdam Mark Alban Lotz to join mr Boubaker on bass, Guy Bayssac on drums and myself on alto.

i am very pleased to have played with such an amazing bunch. great times…

 

 

the first set was a duo with guy bayssac aka ‘canard’. such a pleasure to meet again.

 

 

as usual, the audio from all the above videos, and much more, is available from my website. see the improv section for various collaborations:

 www.spacers.lowtech.org/herve

 

there is more footage coming this way with guy bayssac and another surprise guest shot in café burgaud. so keep your eyes peeled or head for my vimeo page…

technique or technology cannot replace emotions

“If we study life today – in spite of the great progress of science, radio, telephone, phonograph, and all the wonders of this age – we find that the psychological aspect of music, poetry and art does not seem to develop as it should. On the contrary, it is going backward. And if we ask what is the reason, the answer will be that the whole progress of humanity today is in the first place a mechanical progress. This hinders in a way the progress of individualism.

 

It seems that we are restricted by uniformity, that there is no scope, you will find the same thing in the mechanical and scientific worlds. But in art especially, where the greatest freedom is necessary, one is restricted by uniformity, painters and musicians cannot get their work recognized. They must follow the crowd instead of following the great souls. All that is general is ordinary […] what is called uniformity has become a hindrance to individual development.” (p.98)

 

” When music has become commercial, its beauty is lost; it has lost much of its value.

There was a time in the East when every effort was made by the aristocracy of India to keep the art of music from being commercialised […] The musician was not restricted by his programme. He was left to feel by his intuition what the people wanted. He had to decide at the moment he saw them, and as he went on playing or singing he knew more. The chemical effect of the minds of the listeners told him what they wanted. So at the end it was a spiritual treat.

The secret of all magnetism, whether expressed through personality or through music, is life. It is life which charms, which is attractive. What we are always seeking for is life, and it is the lack of life which may be called lack of magnetism. If musical teaching is given on this principle it will be most successful in bringing about psychological results. It is on the health of the physical body, on thought, on imagination, and on the heart –which is often cold and frozen!– that the psychological power of music depends. It is this life which the musician puts through his fingertips when playing the violin, or through his voice when singing.

What the world is seeking, what human souls yearn for, is that life – whether it comes through music, colour and line, or through words. It is that life which everyone desires. It is life which is the real source of healing. Music can heal, if life is put into it. There is no great secret about it, if a person is able to understand the truth in its simplicity. When a person plays mechanically, the fingers running about the piano or violin almost automatically, it may create a temporary effect, but it soon passes.” (p. 100)

 

 

From:

Hazrat Inayat Khan.

“The mysticism of sound and music”. London: 1996, Shambala Dragon Editions