Vladimir Miller, p, kybds; Ken Hyder, d, perc, vcl, electronics;
Vladimir Rezitsky, as, fit, jaw harp, melodica, vcl.
6/96, London, England.

Russian alto player Vladimir Rezitsky is an organizer for a yearly festival in Arkhangelsk on the White Sea (7/95, p.99). At the end of each festival, the musicians all board a boat and sail to the Solovki, a series of islands nudging the Arctic Circle. It is this stark, wild environment and the eerie quality of light there that inspired the name for this group and the title of the CD. This trio joins three mucians who are used to playing on the fringe. Percussionist Ken Hyder has been playing around the edges of the British free improvising scene since the early '60s, fashioning an approach to free improvisation that draws on his in-depth studies of everything from Celtic music to shamanic drumming and Tuvan overtone singing. Since 1990 he has done regular tours of Russia, playing with many Russian improvisers. Through his festival and his group Arkhangelsk, alto player Rezitsky has created a broad approach to free improvisation that has led to tours throughout Europe and Japan. Miller grew up in exile in London and now splits his time between Europe and Russia, where he leads the Moscow Composers Orchestra.
This trio combines wide-ranging backgrounds for spontaneous music that moves from expansive open interactions to improvisation of fiery, driving intensity. The basic lineup of piano, sax, and drums is expanded with electronics, harpsichord, electric keyboards, and even jaw harp. Their music can call on the powerful directness of Albert Ayler or the open conversational abstractions of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble with equal ease. Rezitsky is constantly driving the three with his slightly acidic tone and sharp, probing phrasing. Hyder's stuttering, free percussion splashes along, carrying the improvisations forward with a propulsive, open momentum. Miller plays with stabbing clusters that break across the other two voices; fitting in perfectly between the alto player's forceful edge and the percussionist's sense of open space. The two long improvisations and three shorter pieces give these three plenty of space to stretch out and probe a wide range from quiet detail to turbulent intensity. This is music that demands careful listening and delivers with playing informed by passion and dynamic energy.