"mirrors-broken but but no dust, bpa 001"
Players: peter kowald/damon smith mirrors
Reviewed by: Frank Rubolino, Cadence

1) Biggi Vinkeloe/Barre Phillips "Maghzen" slask 23
2) peter kowald/damon smith "mirrors-broken but but no dust" bpa 001
(note: this review was done togther, it is reprinted in full here because Biggi is featured on the latest bpa release: "desert sweets")
An old French church setting provides the inspiration for the very personalized communication transpiring between Vinkeloe and Phillips on (1). Their music is instantly composed in a most knotted, interwoven way. Vinkeloe is an imaginative woodwind player who gracefully develops spirals of light-as-air sound on alto, while her approach to the flute has leanings toward the robust, wind-over-reed style. In both situations, she constructs her improvisations with an inventive bent that have forward moving direction at all times. While the ideas continuously pour from her instruments, there does not appear to be any randomness about it. Her phrases are always resolved in logical order, making her statements extremely pointed and effective. Reinforcing her strong effort is the stunningly clear acoustics of the venue.

Phillips is a dynamo in this type of setting. Absorbing the cornucopia of cascading notes pouring from the reeds of Vinkeloe, he constructs this multiple-movement sinfonietta with his noted dexterous command of the strings and bow. Phillips is a percussive bassist who uses the body of the instrument and its full tonal range to extract gorgeously resonating tones. In rapid succession, he slaps the sides of the bass, plucks the strings, bows intently, and rattles the bow between the strings to get yet anotherpercussive variation on the dark music. The density of his sound pitted against the higher tonality of the alto and flute yields a sonic contrast having beauty and brawn. This pairing was wonderfully conceived. The two artists immerse themselves in this music overflowing with ripe concepts and rich textures, and these qualities are generously conveyed to the listener.

In March 2000, Kowald began a major 50-city tour of the USA playing the first half of each concert as a soloist and then teaming with area artists for the second set. I witnessed his performance in Houston a few weeks before the bass duets on (2) with Smith were recorded in California. Kowald's music is founded on intensity, and he found a kindred spirit in the younger Smith. They ignite a dual brand of fire that never reverts to embers - it flames continually with the outpouring of emotion and creativity that makes the music fully satisfying without the need for other instrumentation. What comes across most vividly in their musical discourse is the depth of the communicative skills. While each musician is effectively playing an enlarged virtuosic solo, the streams of sound from each merge and unite as though predefined, which of course they were not.

Kowald is furious as ever on these dates. He forcefully grabs at strings, massages them with vigor, slaps them with near brutality, and bows them with hardy intensity, yet the result of this overt display is always a thing of beauty. His music rings with sensitivity that belies the tactics used to generate it. Smith approaches the bass in very much the same way. He is aggressive and affirmative, building a huge soundstage with thick notes in either arco or pizzicato mode that careen off his instrument, shoot directly toward Kowald and are returned with altered structure but no loss of velocity. The first date was one extended dissertation, while the second was performed as seven shorter movements and features an example of Kowald's noted gutteral throat singing. Both sets are equally endowed with energy, transference of ideas, and markedly emphatic originality. There is no generation gap here.