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Usiskin/Oliver DUO
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CD 2113
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Max Oliver Electric Cello Ollie Usiskin Drums
This latest SLAM release presents the very individual style of music by the UK based duo on their first CD. Combining rhythmic and largely atonal melodic ideas, the duo cites Jack DeJohnette, Frank Zappa and Tony Williams amongst their main influences.
Ollie Usiskin writes:- "The duo’s eponymous debut CD brings a new exciting sound in improvised music. The recordings feature music created during playing sessions by the Duo, blending Jazz and Classical styles, with Oliver’s atonal themes accompanied by Usiskin’s loose & fiery drums. The project has been guided by Bassist / Producer Jimmy Haslip ( The Yellow Jackets, Allan Holdsworth ) who describes the playing as uninhibited, abstract & colourful . World renowned drummer Peter Erskine quotes " Excellent stuff !" Be prepared to be taken on a creative journey where there are no boundaries."
"As is often said to describe music…..Freedom within the Discipline , here these two fine musicians create a landscape that is abundant in its virtuosity and imagination. It is also a first class recording to boot - impossible not to open your ears and to tap your feet alongside the intricate stick work that reminded me of some of Jazzs top echelon - what a great feast for the senses !" Tim Wheater
"Dynamically, the duo utilise the sparse instrumentation to great effect, and the variations they achieve in such a minimalist format are impressive. Renowned bassist Jimmy Haslip is credited as the album’s executive producer, and overall, the duo’s debut album is a great success, producing an interesting and original take on free improvisation." Jazz Journal.
Also available through all digital outlets, including:
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Details
Reviews
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Recorded July 2019 at Mill Hill Music Complex, London.
TRACKS: 1 Changes of Direction 11:47
2 The Reaction of Two 3:13
3 Stretch 1:44
4 Leading up to 12:29
5 Storm Burst 1:29
6 Build up 11:54
7 Disagree to agree 12:35
8 Swing Push 0:46
9 Irritation 1:57
Released on the UK-based SLAM label, Duo presents the very individual style of drummer Ollie Usiskin and electric cellist Max Oliver on their debut CD. The totally improvised set, recorded live at north London’s Mill Hill Studio Complex, combines rhythmic and largely atonal melodic ideas in a free-flowing dialogue. The aptly titled "Changes of Direction" opens the album, combining Latin, swing, 7/8 rock/funk and more with Oliver initially playing pizzicato, picking up his bow five minutes in. The drums dominate on "The Reaction of Two" and "Stretch" which are more akin to drum solo with cello accompaniment, while the roles are reversed on "Storm Burst", with its surprisingly abrupt conclusion. Executive producer Jimmy Haslip describes it as "uninhibited, abstract and colourful" and that description is hard to fault. Brent Keefe Drumhead March/April 2021
Ollie Usiskin and Max Oliver release the Usiskin/Oliver Duo, combining improvised cello and drums to form an imaginative and varied debut album. The pair are skilled musicians, and together they weave complex and original ideas, creating tracks that are both provoking and engaging, with several tracks being less than two minutes long, and others over 10. The duo use an array of techniques in their improvisation. Oliver cuts between plucked and bowed electric cello, at times dissonant but always musical, carving out phrases and motifs from the ideas he explores. On the second track, The Reaction Of Two, after accelerating into fast and complicated soloing, he finds a short, droning riff to bring the piece to a close while on drums, Usiskin keeps the momentum before a sudden conclusion. Usiskin’s playing combines a variety of styles, from the more rock- and jazz-based beats found in Storm Burst, to the entirely free form, such as Stretch and Leading Up To. The use of electric cello provides a brittle and fuzzy tone, which contrasts well with the dry acoustic drums. The best example of this is the final track, Irritation, in which the buzzing cello played in the upper register sits above the sporadic drums. Elliot Marlow-Stevens 19/01/2021 https://jazzjournal.co.uk/2021/01/19/usiskin-oliver-duo-usiskin-oliver-duo/
UK’s Slam Records continues to create new sounds and dimensions. Max Oliver plays electric cello alongside drummer Ollie Usiskin for nine intuitive originals. Oliver hits the lower register on "Storm Burst" and reaches for the heavens on the 12 minute "Disagree to Agree". A mix of picking and bowing give a Mingusy feel to the frisky "Leading Up To" while some honking bowing takes place on "Stretch". Usiskin digs a nice groove on " Changes of Direction" and "Swing P ush" , snaps sharply and crisply on "The Reaction of the Two" with the two getting into a chaotic clutter on "Irritation." Don’t look for transcriptions on this one. https://www.jazzweekly.com/2021/01/a-pair-of-slamskasperi-sarikoski-3-1-usikin-oliver-duo/ by George W. Harris • January 18, 2021
I due musicisti inglesi Max Oliver al violoncello elettronico e Ollie Usiskin alla batteria sono presenti a Londra e suonano nelle tante occasioni disponibili nella grande metropoli, non soltanto musica improvvisata, ma anche rock o pop o quello che capita prima. Questo disco è piuttosto speciale, perché questo tipo di duo non è piuttosto frequente, per cui i due esplorano territori nuovi. Oliver utilizza le complete possibilità del suo strumento, suonato sia con l’archetto che in pizzicato, mentre la batteria si dà da fare con continui cambi di ritmo e velocità per riuscendo a rendere il tutto molto interessante. Nei quattro brani più lunghi, siamo in media sui dodici minuti, i due costruiscono improvvisazioni coinvolgenti e compatte, altrove, in brevi aforismi, la musica si fa piú rarefatta. In ogni caso la musica si sviluppa ricca di idee, fra jazz e ritmi rock, fra le note struggenti del violoncello e la batteria sempre presente ed incalzante.
GOOGLE TRANSLATE: The two English musicians Max Oliver on electronic cello and Ollie Usiskin on drums are present in London and play in the many occasions available in the great metropolis, not only improvised music, but also rock or pop or whatever comes first. This record is quite special, because this type of duo is not that frequent, so the two explore new territories. Oliver uses the full possibilities of his instrument, played both with the bow and in pizzicato, while the drums are busy with continuous changes of rhythm and speed to manage to make everything very interesting. In the four longer pieces, we are on average about twelve minutes, the two build compelling and compact improvisations, elsewhere, in short aphorisms, the music becomes more rarefied. In any case, the music develops rich in ideas, between jazz and rock rhythms, between the poignant notes of the cello and the ever-present and pressing drums. Vittorio lo Conte http://www.musiczoom.it/?p=32046#.X5fjs4j7S1thttp://www.musiczoom.it/?p=32046#.X5fjs4j7S1t
" Ollie Usiskin and Max Oliver’s Duo album has an impressive endorsement from Peter Erskine and an executive producer in Jimmy Haslip. Drummer Ollie Usiskin flows into swathes of musical dialogue triggered back and forth by cellist Max Oliver throughout the recording. Their music very much champions the free side of improvised expression."
Julian Joseph
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