BOLT

Boston-based quartet BOLT has been working locally since 2011, focusing solely on free improvisation. Using the distinctive timbral combination of two stringed instruments with the lyricon (an analog electronic wind synthesizer from the 1970s), saxophone, and percussion, BOLT’s group sound balances anywhere between the energy-orgies of free jazz and the sparse soundscapes of electronic minimalist improv. In the more expressive moments of a BOLT set the music hints at Boston’s influential master of microtonal improvisation Joe Maneri. In the more quiet introspective moments one could hear a modern day extension of the late 1940s experiments with free improvisation of the Tristano school. This recording was deliberately conceived to create a different listening experience from that of a live concert. The nineteen takes of this CD were carefully chosen from thirty-six improvised pieces recorded during a session in the summer of 2013. Shuffling the pieces in random order gives the listener read more...