reviews / 2010

HAMMERIVER - Hammeriver

Name: HAMMERIVER – Hammeriver
Item: Hammeriver
Rating: 6
Author: Francesco Nunziata

2010 (Mikroton)

free jazz, improv

by Francesco Nunziata

Harpist Clare Cooper founded Hammeriver in Sydney in 2003, with the aim of exploring the possibilities inherent in Alice Coltrane's music.

Backed by a sizeable crew of musicians (Tony Buck on percussion, Clayton Thomas on double bass, Chris Abrahams on piano, plus the "Berlin contingent" of Christof Kurzmann on electronics, Tobias Delius on tenor sax and clarinet, and Werner Dafeldecker on double bass), Cooper contributes hazy harp flutters to keep alive the connection with the woman who was once the wife of the great John.

Recorded at the Saal 3 radio studio in the former East Germany, this self-titled debut opens with a version of "Ohnedaruth" (from the 1968 album "A Monastic Trio"), a delicate exercise in whispering tensions and soft nuances – a contrast that also resurfaces on the following "First Free". And while "E" shows the more dynamic side of the project, tracks like "DD" and "Heartbreaker" reveal the ambitions of an improvisational language that's still a touch too timid.

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03/12/2010

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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Francesco Nunziata, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.

Read the original in Italian · About the English edition