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On Bruckmann's entymology: . . . Like German trumpeter Axel Dörner, Bruckmann skillfully manipulates a myriad of scrapes, squeaks, hisses, and multiphonic squiggles that his instruments weren't intended to make. And like British saxophonist Evan Parker, he uses circular breathing and scrupulously precise articulation to generate continuous double streams of high and low pitches, which spiral together like strands of DNA. But unlike many free improvisers, he's not allergic to melody: Entymology includes a couple pensive themes played in lovely, pure tones that betray his rigorous training. Bill Meyer, Chicago Reader The variety of sounds Kyle Bruckmann gets out of his instruments is astonishing. . . What's most important is that, in his search for new sounds, [he] does not sacrifice musicality, which makes Entymology easily recommended to anyone who wants to start apprehending "free improvisation." Alain Drouot, Jazz Institute of Chicago Entymology could have been only a curiosity, something exotic-sounding for the improv crowd, but it goes beyond that. It so happens Kyle Bruckmann is a seasoned improviser with impressive extended technique and peculiar artistic flair. These 13 untitled improvisations aren't exercises: in each one of them, the improviser uses many techniques, varies moods and captivates. . . Entymology is an enchanting experience that expands the possibilities (and the comprehension) of the double reed family. Strongly recommended. François Couture, All-Music Guide Kyle Bruckmann has incredible control over the musical vocabulary and a natural inclination towards microscopic analyses. . . Finally, a worthy voice that will go on to supplant those who have been 'improvising' the same old idea for too long. Jacopo Andreini, All About Jazz/Italy, translation: Lou Mallozzi . . . Though much of entymology will have you wondering how the hell he gets those sounds, a couple of pieces are played "straight", i.e. with unabashed lyricism and evident respect for the instrument's venerable tradition. . . As always with impressive solo debuts, I'm led to speculate what the performer might do in the company of others. . . I have the feeling we'll be hearing more from Kyle Bruckmann in years to come. Dan Warburton, Paris Transatlantic Magazine On Bruckmann's and: . . . In the light of recent developments in oboe technique called for by younger composers, it's clear the instrument is perfectly suited to the demands of today's improvised music. In the hands of a great player, it's as agile as any clarinet, and just as capable of multiphonics and extended techniques as the saxophone. On the strength of his second album, Chicago based Kyle Bruckmann is up to the task. And is a collection of duets pitting his oboe, cor, suona (a Chinese double-reed instrument) and raita against the cream of Chicago improvisors. . . Where Bruckmann's first album showcased his virtuoso playing, And reveals he's just as capable of virtuoso listening. He can take on Zerang and Bishop in the outer reaches of instrumental technique; craft beautiful and coherent melodic lines with the clarinettists; hit multiphonics dead on as cleanly as John Butcher; and if need be blow the hell out of the upper register - quite a feat on a double-reed instrument - to produce a screaming high end. All this before going the distance with the ebullient Weasel Walter in a final round worthy of Peter Brötzmann. Dan Warburton, The Wire On Bruckmann's Wrack: . . . Bruckmann is one of the leading practitioners of the difficult double-reed instrument, and on this recent release from the splendid Red Toucan imprint he demonstrates his chops as both improviser and composer. For a highly unusual instrumentation - the leader on oboe and English horn, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Tim Daisy on percussion, Kurt Johnson on bass (who is in the experimental punk band Lozenge along with Bruckmann), and Jen Clare Paulson on viola - Bruckmann has constructed a half dozen tunes (plus a brief, plucky reharmonized version of Ornette's "Lonely Woman") which combine two seemingly improbable approaches: the post-Vandermark Chicagoan tendency to lace together shifting rhythmic bases and free sections, and a decided New Music influence (the classically trained Bruckmann names Bartok, Stravinsky, Messiaen, and Webern as household gods of his, but some reviewers have rightly detected the presence of Feldman and Scelsi) in the granular minimalism of pieces like "Elegy for a Boiled Frog" and "Mitigating Factors." Often as not, the band alternates dour drones with bustling grooves (such as the plangent melody strung across jumpy 7/4 in "Boiled Frog"). Bruckmann's pieces are patient constructs that morph slowly and ask the improvisers (who he's very generous about featuring - just dig the long Bishop/Paulson duet in "Extenuating Circumstances") to build along with the composition rather than blow over or through it. And if the overall mood is - as the opening track title suggests - "Rather Dour," there are more than enough tart improvisational moments and plenty of saucy drumming from Daisy to keep the session vigorous. The cranky, neo-industrial improvisations on "Gearshifts & Parentheticals" testify to that. One of the finest examples of Wrack's ability to combine turned-up flame with clear-headed attention to texture and space is the brash "Sins of Omission." Bishop tussles with Johnson and Daisy, with energy to spare. But you've got to feel that this band's heart is in the long textural studies like "Mitigating Factors," where the players get to test their extended techniques out even as they work from space and (relative) silence. Daisy, in particular, is a wonder at tuned percussion on this track. Wrack should be taken seriously, not only as a thoroughly enjoyable album in its own right, but as a document of exciting new directions from some of Chicago's best players. Highly recommended. Jason Bivins, Dusted magazine . . . Following his own sonic path, classically-trained double reedist Kyle Bruckmann seeks to express himself in a very personal way, exclaiming that, yes indeed, the oboe and English horn can be utilized in this seemingly incompatible environment. As Bruckmann himself states in the liners, his aim is "an attempt to create space for my voice and my instrument within an ever-evolving tradition that hovers at the crossroads of other traditions." Such interest in several traditions is firmly demonstrated through Bruckmann's playing experiences, including work with Scott Rosenberg's large ensemble, the punk band Lozenge, and the double reed trio Corvus. Such "illegitimate" music might shock the fuddy-duddies, but for those with open ears, Bruckmann's conception will prove to be a feast. . . . Bruckmann's compositions are a carefully constructed balancing act between a written hybrid of jazz/classical motifs and improvised interplay. These seven compositions (with one non-original) emphasize a dark, reflective sound that thrives on dynamic variance . . . On Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman," the ensemble cuts to the core of the piece in perhaps the most breathtaking version of this song ever recorded (after Ornette, of course). This is not your typical jazz or improvised music record and for the sheer adventure of it all, as well as the chance to enjoy some accomplished Chicagoans (and one now ex-Chicagoan, the leader), it is a worthy taste of several considerable talents. Jay Collins, One Final Note On EKG: . . . Kyle Bruckmann (on English horn, suona and electronics) and Ernst Karel (trumpet and electronics), collectively known as EKG, continue the [Locust Music Object] series with a set of six austere, slow moving soundscapes in keeping with the prevailing tendency in new improvised music to move away from rapid-fire interplay - improv's free jazz heritage - towards territory more traditionally associated with contemporary classical and electronic music. . . "Object 2" is as much a landmark of the genre as the highly acclaimed releases on Jon Abbey's Erstwhile label. Bruckmann has in recent times preferred to downplay his dazzling virtuosity on the double reed instruments in favour of patient exploration of the microtonal and micro-timbral inflections of long-held tones, which combine with Karel's plaintive trumpet and the grainy analog electronics, blasts of white noise and crackling static to create music of an extraordinary intensity which richly repays repeated listening. Dan Warburton, Paris Transatlantic Magazine . . . Bruckmann and Karel mostly eschew the event-pause-event feel of much extended-technique improvisation, instead creating dense, static-heavy soundscapes that sound a bit like Keith Rowe's recent work, even though Object 2 features a greater number of dramatic changes than a new Rowe album probably would. Like Dörner's, EKG's music sounds something like a new sort of musique concrète: improv as the whirs and hums of everyday life. . . Bruckmann and Karel are offering new possibilities for improvisation that are far removed from the traditionally melodic, call-and-response moves of free jazz. Charlie Wilmoth, Dusted magazine Read Peter Margasak's Chicago Reader Post No Bills article on Bruckmann's Chicago swansong. An old LOZENGE email interview is archived at FUBARM, and a more recent and comprehensive one is available in Issue No. 13 of Copper Press. Bruckmann and Kurt Johnson speak with Woody Sullender of Dead CEO about the gamut of their musical activities here. |