Mujician :Spacetime

MUJICIAN
SPACETIME

(Cuneiform RUNE 162 )
Cuneiform Records

The work of Mujician has always been a meticulous exploration of the dynamics set up by four individuals with a common purpose. Tippett, Rogers, Dunmall and Levin have developed musical vocabularies that are distinctive and reflect a commitment to spontaneous composition, making acoustic music without over-dubbing.

Their fifth CD for Cuneiform, Spacetime continues this creative empathy and sees a further development. Instead of the long pieces which have been prevalent on other recordings this set features 15 shorter tracks gathered under two collective titles. It represents a concentration of the band’s working method.

There are moments of great delicacy, as on track 2, where Dunmall’s soprano curls lyrically alongside Tippett’s carefully placed wind chimes and piano. In fact, the entire track is evidence that free improvisation can be a vehicle for restraint rather than simply sound and fury. They exhibit a control that keeps the music on an exciting knife edge without it ever degenerating into chaos.

Although they mainly operate as a collective, there is room for solo statements and Dunmall crafts a beautiful example on track 4. Moving from brief reflective notes to more sustained flurries he demonstrates how effectively a solo can reveal the purity of an instrument’s voice. Tony Levin achieves a similar feat on the same track. His drumming is never less than precise, even when raising a storm of polyrhythms, but he also knows when lightness of touch lends eloquence to a piece. Meanwhile, Paul Rogers provides robust, flexible bass, strumming and bowing as required. Just listen to the opening of track 7 where he sounds like several basses and a couple of violins before Dunmall joins him and reminds me what a stunning duo they can be. Later in the track all four of them come together, and swing, propelled by the light touch of Levin’s cymbal work.
As ever, Tippett draws a wide range of colours and textures from the piano, both as soloist or part of the larger unit. His considered use of woodblocks and other devices continues to give the instrument a unique sound that is not usually found in jazz but blends well with ululating sax. And it’s still a joy to hear those rapid, hammering chords and fleeting runs that are such a recognisable facet of his style. These feature on the final track which is, in part, a kind of summary of what Mujician are about. Solo and ensemble playing combine both the delicate and the more abrasive features of the band.

With each listen I feel that the CD’s title is entirely appropriate. All four musicians have their own space and, even when the quartet is at its most intense, there is a spacious quality to the music. As Tippett has remarked, music can remove you from chronological time. A large claim, perhaps, but one which this recording justifies.

--Paul Donnelly--