Haxo / Splinter Reeds - Hypothetical Islands - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The smash movie soundtrack (on the charts for 59 weeks in 1956!) with that unbeatable team of Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones, and songs like the never-before-released-in-it's-entirety Carousel Waltz.

Dark Currents is the third full-length recording by Splinter Reeds, the West Coast's premier reed quintet featuring Kyle Bruckmann (English horn), Bill Kalinkos, Nicki Roman, Jeff Anderle (bass clarinet) and Dana Jessen. The album opens with Michael Gordon's majestic InchTall Grass,Inch which cascades upwards into undulating waves of melody before spreading outward on a moody canvas that surges with tension and emotion. By contrast, Paula Mathussen's InchAntenna StudiesInch combines ambient soundscapes and found sounds, while the musicians quietly tease their instruments with breath control and percussive pad strikes as a somber melodic figure gradually begins to take shape. Taken together, these two 20-minute performances propel the listener forward on an ever-changing journey, by turns hypnotic, ecstatic, surreal and spooky, that tests the pre-conceived boundaries of modern chamber music.

Tracks 13 to 15 are only available by streaming and downloading, and not available on the physical CD.