Orcastratum (Compunctio), UK, March 16, 2018
1. Spirit Of The Skog (06:41) - 2. Unexpected Relations (03:35) - 3. Hallelujah Ironically (05:19) - 4. Wizdoom (04:36) - 5. No Need (08:02)
Ralph Salmins (drums, percussion); Neville Malcolm (bass); Eric Appapoulay (electric and acoustic guitar); Glen Scott (piano, keyboards and production) + Guests: Eric Bibb (vocals, guitar); Solo Cissokho (singing, kora); Binker Golding (saxophone); Shaneeka Simon (vocals); Berg (singing). Recorded and filmed live at the Dean St. Soho studios in London in January 2016.
In the seventh art, music is often the accompanist of the film. For Orcastratum, it's the opposite, music generates images. The audio recording of this album was filmed live at the Dean St. Soho studios in London in January 2016, the black and white aesthetic rendering respect of the tradition of arthouse cinema. The world of jazz has often used black and white, portraits of the greatest jazzmen (Miles Davis, John Coltrane ...) testify. Today, the two colors of Yin and Yang are also there to remind the dress of the orca (Orcinus orca), animal that inspired Glen Scott.
Etymologically, Orcastratummeans the members of the category of orcs. Dr. Lori Marino, a specialist in cetacean neuroscience, presents him as an animal endowed with a shared sense of self, thanks to a more developed paralimbic brain area than that of the human brain. Neurology and ketology should help us decode the message conveyed by the British composer. For most of our contemporaries, orcs are animals present in dolphinaria, obedient to the finger and the eye or rather to the ultrasonic whistle of their healers / trainers. But Gabriela Cowperthwaite's "Blackfish" report, released in 2014, brings another knowledge of this animal. This film is strongly inspired by the real story of the orc Tilikum, responsible for the deaths of three people. This cetacean, captured in 1983, killed her trainer on February 24, 2010 during a show. This accident mobilized public opinion and the scientific community who came to the conclusion that captive conditions make cetaceans crazy and uncontrollable. In the wild, these animals live in a hierarchical group, while in the basins, they are often alone or in very small groups. The documentary asks the question: how can an orca swimming ten thousand kilometers in the ocean in forty two days, live in a basin sixty meters long? these animals live in a hierarchical group, whereas in the basins, they are often alone or in very small groups. The documentary asks the question: how can an orca swimming ten thousand kilometers in the ocean in forty two days, live in a basin sixty meters long? these animals live in a hierarchical group, whereas in the basins, they are often alone or in very small groups. The documentary asks the question: how can an orca swimming ten thousand kilometers in the ocean in forty two days, live in a basin sixty meters long?
These exciting discoveries could make you forget the musical subject of the day. On the contrary, the need for space and freedom of cetaceans is identical to the feeling felt by the composer: "The stimulus came from a personal need to create a music that turns away from the conventions of today's mainstream music. and its sometimes too predictable character.Expression of this art form is an essential part of my daily balance and serves me as a sort of therapy.With Orcastratum, I continue the quest for my soul, hoping to get myself, as well as to others, an unlimited inspiration ".
In the company of the musicians of the album, Glen Scott records the CD live, as on the open sea for orcas. No Needreveals the construction of the album: at first, Eric Appapoulay installs a planing atmosphere by rubbing the strings on his guitar, then Ralph Salmins, cymbals, increases the sound tension of the piece. They are then joined by Glen's subtle riffs on the piano. This track of more than eight minutes also presents calm phases where Eric Bibb and Shaneeka Simon chant their warm voices "No Need". Yes ! the proof is made, the music is born in complete freedom, without premeditation nor preliminary writing, only by being carried away by the melodic wave. All the songs in the album are made with a similar fluidity. Glen Scott even speaks of a philosophy of Orcastratum that is to change musicians for each album so as not to fall into the pitfall of repetition.
As for orcas who can not live alone and locked in small pools, Glen Scott needs to be free and surrounded by musicians to create his music. Listening to this album allows you to go further by encouraging the listener to ask the question: imbued with freedom and surrounded by close friends, our existence is not it more beautiful?
[Chronicle of Jean-Constantin Colletto ]
