Double LP
First time reissue of a key Oliveros work originally issued in 1985. Separated by just a few years, the Well and The Gentle followed directly on from the releases of the probably now more widely known Accordion & Voice and The Wanderer, but it's a very different type of record. Oliveros was alone on those previous two LPs, here she leads an ensemble cast, conducting either endlessly circling arrangements as on the opening three salvos, or looming cathedrals of sound that swoop and arc with a grandiosity not immediately evident in her other more minimalist work. This is by no means ornate, of course, and still grounded in repetition and improvisation in a way that feels tied to adjacent fields - listening to the final version of The Gentle, i couldn't help think of Manuel Gottsching, the accordion aping the signal processed guitar in the repeating of phrases to near-ecstatic release. No surprise, really, when you consider that Oliveros was one of the leading figures in electronic music. In fact, i'm not sure if the harmonic possibilities of the accordion have been fully explored in dance music, but perhaps that's a thought for another day. In truth, The Well and The Gentle stands on its own as an impressively ambitious song suite, one of active and spontaneous re-interpretation, charged with movement and light. Which is likely why, near four decades later, it remains agile, venturing, and remarkably, forward facing.
