cassette
The Bristol connection is real with this one - our beloved Tara Clerkin of … Trio fame and Memotone’s Will Yates unite at the invitation of Bliss Archive for a five track set of improvisations utilising only clarinet and a series of pedals. The result is somewhat different to what listeners may be accustomed to from these two, notably more structurally open-ended and exploratory, though inevitably some signature styles remain (indeed, is anything really ever truly ‘improvised’?). Emotion and intimacy has long been a feature of both their work, and that shines through very clearly here, the experimental urges not at all disguising their collective pursuit of a sound that is wholly affecting - no mistake, For Clarinets is distinctly melancholy, and frequently beautiful. Their respective skills dovetail well, also, Clerkin an inspired autodidact, Yates one of those sensitive virtuoso multi-instrumentalists who can seemingly elicit a notable sound out of anything. The balance is perfect for improvisation of this nature, their differing perspectives helping instinctively guide through their shared influences, a sort-of-but-not-quite pastoral jazz-ambient that plays like a more minimalist take on what Ulla and Perila were exploring on Jazz Plates or Mary Jane Leach’s collaborative Multiple Woodwinds project. Mostly, however, this feels like one of those effortless collaborations whereby you wonder how it hadn’t happened before - they seem to intuitively understand their respective space in the music, and let it effortlessly glide out and on. A more than worthy addition to the more than admirable catalogues of both. Note: only on cassette (for now?), and in fairly short supply.
FFO: Ulla & Perila, Mary Jane Leach, Blue Lake
