PART ONE (Vignettes I – VI)
PART TWO (Vignettes VII – XIII)
Lockdown got ya bored? Not me! Today I’m playing with my Star Wars guys.
Enjoy music just a little different from the norm? Here are Kathryn Ladano and opening act, combining members of Harp+ and Seagram Synth Ensemble at the TWH Social After Dark Space January 11 2020. My Samsung couldn’t get a good image in the dark, but the audio is decent in full stereo. Enjoy the track “Flow” from the new album Masked and clips from other tracks on the disc!
The synthscape of the opening act was quite awesome. Now, I don’t normally drink, but I was with Max the Axe. Before long I had a rum and Coke in me and I was taken on this wild synthesizer trip through the cosmos! For roughly 30 minutes, a stream of music emanated through the room, like a slideshow of NASA photos from the 1960s. Can’t wait to hear the Seagram Synth Ensemble’s album which was for sale and now in my collection.
Kathryn Ladano played interpretations of music from her album Masked. “Interpretations” because the music is improvised and never the same twice, they just follow the same rough blueprints. “It’s better live” whispered Max (you can hear this in the video), and Dr. Ladano agreed.
Great show, great venue, try and catch them live!
Join us for the release of MASKED! Get the new album on vinyl, or CD with two bonus tracks. Admission is free!
Please note that the venue has changed slightly. Instead of being in the Oak Room lobby in the 2nd floor of the Walper, it will now be in the TWH Social After Dark Space.
Bonus: Come meet me and Max the Axe!
KATHRYN LADANO – Masked (2019 vinyl version – test pressing)
The new Dr. Kathryn Ladano album Masked will be out soon, and we just got our (very neat and clean) hands on a pristine test pressing of the vinyl LP. We don’t have the sleeve, liner notes or CD bonus tracks. However we can say, without any of the extras, that this is a remarkable sounding album.
You can hear Dr. Kathryn breathing, and you can hear the click of the key pads. The album is completely solo improvisations. What you hear is what was played in the moment, in the studio. The fact you can hear the keys and the breathing makes it a very physical sounding album.
Isotope records did an excellent job with the actual cutting of the vinyl. It will be interesting to hear a comparison with the eventual CD version (which will come with two more songs). The bass clarinet is a diverse instrument, and it’s possible you won’t even know you’re listening to a wind instrument at times. There are moments of dissonance that sound like an electric guitar. Others sound like a broken theremin, Jason Voorhees, or a dog growling! The second track is absolutely mental. Ladano also goes full “Van Halen” with speed and frenzy in certain passages. However it’s all executed with complete control and mastery of the instrument, and you can hear this.
The rich tones of the bass clarinet are evident in the more melodic material, which some listeners might find easier to digest. The rhythms you can create with the bass clarinet are also pretty riveting. Each track is different, which is good when you’re listening to instrumental music that is so far out in left field. This album goes from left to right and all over the place, but rarely hangs around the middle.
As a whole, Masked plays out like the soundtrack to a science fiction film. Something like THX-1138 or Blade Runner: 2049. The only difference is that this is entirely performed on one acoustic instrument. It sure sounds like many, though, because it’s hard to believe a woodwind can make this much noize.
4.5/5 stars
Here’s an interview with Dr. Kathryn by Ambush Schnauzer Paparazzi. She discusses the new album and artwork below.
EXCLUSIVE! Dr. Kathryn talks about new album MASKED out later this year!
