michael t. bullock and andrew lafkas ceremonies to breathe upon

Michael T Bullock & Andrew Lafkas Ceremonies To Breathe Upon Winds Measure CD A very different proposition from my previous exposure to contrabassist Bullock’s work, 2003’s Fall Of Song duo with cellist Vic Rawlings, which was as dry and abrasive as a Brillo pad bodysuit. Ceremonies To Breathe Upon documents an improvised performance recorded in a New York truck depot in the company of fellow bassist Lafkas, and it’s a beautiful, expansive piece, less starkly challenging than Fall Of Song, perhaps, but a whole lot easier on the ear. Making extensive but subtle use of the room’s massive acoustic, the pair trade wisps of sighing harmonics with incredible control and an evident commitment to fashioning an unfolding composition rather than a series of episodes and effects, in a manner that recalls The Necks. When they eventually allow themselves to cut loose in the final stretch, the deep, overlapping legato rumble seems all the heavier for the patience that has preceded it.

reviewed by Keith Moliné, The Wire Magazine [#318 August 2010]
08-2010