12 Comp (ZIM) 2017

This audio Blu-Ray contains 12 performances by groups ranging from six to nine members; the shortest piece is 41 minutes, the longest 73. The music is constructed via a somewhat inscrutable methodology, but has dynamic energy and a surprising degree of focus given its collectively improvised nature. The instrumentation, which includes accordion, violin, cello and multiple harpists in addition to an array of reeds and brass, all anchored by tuba, allows it to sidestep questions of genre and become something like an environment. Don’t try to absorb it all in one megadose — pick a piece, get comfortable, and let it wash over you for an hour or so.