MATCHLESS LISTENING ROOM
Friday 18 January 2002
Roger Parry
MATCHLESS is a vehicle (without an equal, a motorcycle, perhaps…) for the various ‘editions’ of AMM, co-founded in 1965 – says Grove - by the peerless Eddie Prevost, (who will be 60 this year, 22 June and for whom ‘no sound is innocent’*), Keith Rowe and Lou Gare.
AMM may well be the topic of one of my future LISTENING ROOM sessions so I’ll not dwell too much in that area now, for there is much material on this label that derives from other than AMM performances.
We will hear some very small portion of this, some of it from performances featuring musicians who are not directly associated with AMM.
[* - The title of his book…]
1. (untitled track) Eddie Prevost*, solo pc, c. 1974 FMRCD81-0501 (12:10)
[* - Eddie’s ‘Prevost’ ‘e’ has an acute accent; cute, eh?! Say: ‘Pray voe’ or…?]
2. By Your Own Yard Eddie Prevost, Tom Chant, ss & John Edwards, bs; 1997
MATCHLESS CD34 (10:07)
3. Teddy Bears In The Closet Keith Rowe, g; Jeffrey Morgan, as; 1997
MRCD36 (07:02)
4. Perro Semihundido (Goya) Evan Parker, ts, ss, John Tilbury, p; 1998
MRCD39 (02:43; the end of 71:37…)
The notes to this release were written by Mr Prevost. I recommend them to you (with my usual caveats*). He makes no attempt to describe the music but to give it a context in the Marxist, polemical environment of his personal intellectual world.
[* - Never read any notes that may accompany a release until you have heard the material to which they pertain. Treat notes written by those other than the performer/s with great circumspection except for those parts which may report things said by the performer/s; in this case, Mr Prevost is an exception.) If, as you read notes for the first time, there are words attempting to describe the sounds that the release provides, then escape as soon as possible! (i.e., exercise your discretion NOT TO read them.) Such (post-mortem) words can only diminish the material that triggered them.]
NOTE: Re: Perro Semihundido (Goya), some additional material –
[020121: (…) spurred by my recent Matchless Listening Room, I [looked up] the slender, small format Dolphin Art Book on Goya that I acquired in HK in November 1991 when ‘The Burial of the Sardine’ was occupying my mind. There seems to be no reference to the “perro semihundido” so I have just finished a ¾ hour Google session on that term and here’s something of what I observed. It seems that somehow the painting has acquired the title, in English of ‘THE DOG ON THE LEASH’, while in Spain it goes as "El perro semihundido" or "El perro en la arena".’ It is spoken of as ‘A disturbing and undecipherable painting [that] belongs to the 14 "black paintings"[*], and it was painted on the wall of one of the Quinta del Sordo’s (the House of the Deaf Man) rooms. There’s no biblical or mythological inspiration, it could be possibly an expression of [Goya’s] own anguish. Curiosity: Is the dog on the sand or in the water?’ The enigmatic nature of the work has inspired others to creativity, for example, the poet Peruvian Blanca Varela, for whom 'Cada poema que escrib[e] es el primero'. In an interview with one Félix Romeo, she responds to the observation, ‘Pero en sus poemas el perro aparece más que los loros’, as follows: ‘El perro para mí es un personaje importantísimo’. [For me, the dog is a very important person] [!!!] ‘Por eso para la portada de Canto Villano elegí el Perro semihundido en la arena de Goya. Dudé entre ese Goya y otro cuadro de Bacon, donde también había un perro. Bacon es un pintor que me impresiona mucho. Esas bombillas desnudas encima de esos hombres solos en una habitación... Siento que tiene mucho que ver con mi poesía’.
[*] From
another source:
‘5.1 Las Pinturas negras [Black Paintings]
Ya se ha señalado que Goya pintó en su Quinta, al óleo sobre yeso, una serie de pinturas, en número de catorce, que se conocen con el nombre de Pinturas negras (actualmente en el Museo del Prado, al que llegaron en 1881 después de diversas vicisitudes. Las pinturas estaban situadas en dos salas de la planta baja y el primer piso, respectivamente. En la planta baja se encontraban La Laocadia, El Gran Cabrón, Saturno, Judith y Holofernes, La romería de San Isidro, Dos viejos y Dos viejos comiendo; en el primer piso: Átropos o Las Parcas, Duelo a garrotazos, Hombres leyendo, Dos jóvenes burlándose de un hombre, Paseo del Santo Oficio, Asmodea y El perro.
Las Pinturas negras han suscitado una
abundante bibliografía sin que por el momento exista consenso entre los diferentes
autores. Ni siquiera sobre los títulos hay acuerdo. La primera vez que se
mencionan es en el inventario redactado por Antonio Brugada a la muerte del
artista en 1828, pero ya algunos de sus títulos ofrecen inexactitudes: así, por
ejemplo, Hombres leyendo se titula en el inventario «Dos hombres», Dos mujeres
y un hombre, «Dos mujeres». La falta de precisión en los títulos responde a lo
enigmático de los temas, tanto consideradas las obras individualmente como en
su conjunto. Sánchez Cantón y Xavier de Salas, Folke Nordström, Nigel
Glendinning, Pierre Gassier y Santiago Sebastián son algunos de los
historiadores que más atentamente han estudiado las pinturas, pero no es éste
el lugar adecuado para exponer sus interpretaciones y entrar en sus matices. Nos
limitaremos a una visión general. La eventual realización de un programa
unitario choca con la primera dificultad en los títulos. Algunos hacen
referencia a asuntos que podemos considerar contemporáneos Duelo a garrotazos,
La romería de San Isidro, Paseo del Santo Oficio-, otros, por el contrario,
poseen un fuerte sentido mitológico -Atropos o Las Parcas, Asmodea, Satumo-,
otros resultan de difícil adscripción: qué tipo de asunto es el de El perro,
quizá la pintura más enigmática entre todas las de la Quinta y, probablemente,
la más fascinante?, ¿Cuál es el tema de Dos jóvenes burlándose de un hombre o
de Dos viejos corriendo y Hombres leyendo? qué viejos son esos Dos viejos?...
Da la sensación de que Goya ha reunido motivos de muy diferente naturaleza, pero
no cabe duda, a la vista de las pinturas, de que el conjunto ofrece un sentido
unitario, y no es de extrañar que haya interpretaciones para todos los gustos,
desde las que buscan una «férrea» unidad iconológica -como las de Nordström y
Sebastián- hasta las que encuentran un hilo más laxo, como las de Salas y
Sánchez Cantón o la de Gassier.
Entre
todas las Pinturas negras hay una que ha llamado siempre profundamente la
atención: El perro. A pesar de la sencillez de la imagen no
existe acuerdo sobre el título. Brugada la llamó Un perro, el Museo del Prado
dice Perro semihundido, Gassier lo titula El perro. Nos encontramos ante una
pintura de composición bien sencilla, posiblemente deteriorada por los
traslados: la cabeza de un perro asoma tras una loma, mirando a la derecha [its
left!], donde la loma se eleva ligeramente, ocupando la mayor parte del cuadro
el fondo, cielo o lugar, espacio de naturaleza indeterminada. No sabemos qué
sucede, no somos capaces de precisar cuál es el tema de la pintura: ¿el perro
se hunde o se salva?, ¿se limita a aparecer tras la loma, por la que estaría
subiendo?, ¿qué mira, si es que mira algo, pues su mirada más parece reflexiva
que orientada hacia algún motivo (que, por otra parte, no está en la pintura)?
Son preguntas de muy difícil contestación. Ante todo, el lector debe tener en
cuenta que son preguntas motivadas por la imagen misma, por la pintura, no por
el tema de la pintura. Si variamos la disposición de la cabeza, disponemos el
morro del can en línea horizontal, las preguntas sobre el posible hundimiento
dejan de tener sentido; si cambiamos la mirada, se precisará si es reflexiva o
anecdótica; si alteramos el color del espacio o sus dimensiones, desaparecerá
la sensación de indeterminación y aumentará el grado de narratividad. El perro
es una pintura que depende estrictamente de los elementos plásticos, su grado
de narratividad es mínimo, la posibilidad de traducir su sentido por escrito,
muy pequeña.
Es posible que este perro sea una figura mitológica o forme parte de un discurso narrativo, y no hay duda que averiguarlo contribuirá a esclarecer su significado. Pero ya ha producido, y produce, su efecto, ya podemos identificarnos con esta imagen, que habla directamente de nuestra situación y corrige el eventual optimismo de la modernidad. No sabemos si el perro se hunde o no, sólo podemos verle en el preciso momento en el que la ambigüedad domina la situación y por ninguna parte aparece terreno firme sobre el que apoyarse; levanta el morro y mira, y su mirada tanto se dirige hacia fuera -pero a ningún objeto concreto - como hacia dentro, es decir, es expresión de esa situación y, en este sentido, casi humana; el espacio-firmamento en el que se recorta no pertenece a lugar concreto alguno: como el de la estampa El coloso, pero ahora de forma más radical, posee una fisonomía cósmica. El perro es la representación más rigurosa de la soledad y la falta de seguridad, de la autoconciencia de esa situación, de su carácter absoluto. El perro presenta la negación de cualquier optimismo ilustrado o moderno, rechaza cualquier idealización de nuestra situación y, paradójicamente (dado lo hermético de su tema), nos devuelve a la tierra: su autoconciencia es la nuestra’.
Finally, it may interest you to know that MOUSE PADS exhibiting the “Perro Semihundido”, sales item R814, are on sale somewhere for ‘$15.00’!
5. Unfurled CONSPIRACY; 1991/92
(Adam Bohman, prep str, Nick Couldry, keybds,
Andy Hammond, el.g, John Telfer, saxes, fl)
MRCD21 (02:49)
6, 7. {nobody’s sweetheart BARK!; 1999
{aise (Rex Caswell, el.g, Phillip Marks, pc, Paul Obermayr, eltron)
MRCD41 (03:16; 02:33)
8. 13 396; 2000 (Yann Charaoui, cymb ec, John Lely, p etc,
Seymour Wright, as)
MRCD42 (05:05)
9-12. Observations 8-11 Tony Moore, solo cello; 1993
MRCD22 (02:56, 00:51, 01:23, 01:01)
13. (IRMA, extract) AMM (9 performers, incl the creator, Tom Phillips…
and Phil Minton, Eddie Prevost, Keith Rowe, John Tilbury)
MRCD16 05:36
14, 15. {Fragments (Crispell, comp) Marilyn Crispell, p, Eddie Prevost, d; 1994
{Dogbolter (Prevost, comp)
MRCD25 (02:48; 02:05)
16. Veil of Tears (part 2) (extract) ORGANUM; 1992 (Michael Prime, Dinah Jane Rowe,
David Jackman, (comp.))
MRCD24 (03:29)
17. Supersession Evan Parker, ss, ts, Keith Rowe, g, eltron,
Barry Guy, b, eltron, Eddie Prevost, pc
MRCD17 (the opening 05:57 from the 36:40 that constitute this release)
18. The Issue at Hand SUCH; 1998 (Yoshikazu Iwamoto, shakuhachi,
John Tilbury, p, Eddie Prevost, pc)
MRCD38 (double) (06:06 extracted from the final 10:00 of the total piece,
running time: 151:34)
The label has a web site at http://www.matchlessrecordings.com updated (as at 020113) to ultimo November 2001 full of well-presented information. It also has a link to the BBC Radio3 web site covering extensively the 2001 ‘Freedom of the City’ Festival*. If you GOOGLE on ‘Eddie Prevost’ you will get something in the order of 1,700 finds!
[* - In this connection, here is an edited extracts from my notes made at the time of the Festival which I attended, with my wife, Pauline:
09:19 Saturday, May 05, 2001
…
[Friday, 04 May 2001]
Pauline and I … got going at about 1830 for the Conway Hall, abode of the South Place Ethical Society. It is at 25, Red Lion Square, Holborn, the first time we had been there. We went by train and tubes and were there at 1935. Both Evan [Parker] and Eddie [Prevost] (EP + EP) were on the door and Eddie provided me with my … tickets for everything, and one … for Pauline. Steve Beresford was in chatty mood and we spoke for some time before the proceedings got underway. He reminded me that Annie Gosfield is the niece of Phil Silvers’ ‘Doberman’, something of which we both agreed she could be very proud. We saw and greeted a number of friends and acquaintances. The show is announced …as ‘freedom of the city 2001/ - a festival of radical & improvised music -/ in association with BBC Radio 3 and Jazz on 3/ London, Conway Hall – 2001 May 4-7’). It got going towards 2000, under the exhortation ‘Unto thine own self be true’ and between two BBCR3 placards looking like cogs of ‘Visit Spain’ posters. The curtains parted and the manifestation on the stage was of a quartet of young men crouched on the floor, faces barely visible and actions in producing minimal sounds in what I discerned to be three movements, the middle of which I surmised was ‘adagio’ by their standard! They were Jamie Coleman, Alex James, Seymour Wright and John Lely. [These are students of Eddie Prevost’s, making initial excursions into public performance…] Pat (Thomas, solo piano) came next. A short set, but a pleasure. I spoke with him in the following interval. Then it was the turn of ‘Mass Producers/ playing two new pieces by Caroline Kraabel’ (perhaps seven months pregnant by Pauline’s estimation) and her saxophonists, a team of twenty white-clad women. I recognised one as the woman in ‘Random Viewers’. They played ‘Performance for Large Saxophone Ensemble 3 for 21 alto/ tenor/ soprano saxes plus voice’ and ‘PLSE 4 for solo voice (Maggie Nicols) and twelve alto saxophones’. Maggie was in brilliant form. …
00:55 Monday, May 07, 2001
And a holiday…
Saturday (05), I made my way out alone to Conway Hall. The afternoon session (‘organised by Emanem’ as was the evening, too,) brought me – via the inimitable introductions of Martin Davidson, stolidly pushing his wares - Quatour Accorde (Tony Wren, Phil Durrant, Charlotte Hug, Mark Wastell). … Veryan Weston, John Edwards and Mark Sanders came next. Mark had rushed from looking after the kids – they were left with his parents – and relied upon Roger Turner for a drum kit. ... This session was rounded of by Lol Coxhill, Phil Minton …, John Russell …, Paul Rutherford … and Roger Turner ‘in various combinations’ … The evening session comprised the Temorary Brass Trio – Ian Smith, Gail Brand and Oren Marshall. … Then it was Maggie, Caroline and Charlotte. Steve Beresford and John Butcher played next then it was ‘Strings with (and without) Evan Parker’. The strings were Chris Burn, Peter Cusack, Hugh Davies, Phil Durrant, John Edwards, Susanna Ferrer, Sylvia Hallett, Kaffe Matthews, Marcio Mattos, John Russell, Philipp Wachsmann and Mark Wastell. …
[Sunday] (06), … Pauline and I … to Conway Hall. The afternoon session was Mick Beck (with whom we both spoke afterwards), Matt Wand (chatted briefly) and Paul Hession (with whom I spoke after his second performance of the day). They were followed by the Chris Burn Ensemble (with John Butcher, Matthew Hutchinson, John Russell and Mark Wastell). … Back for the evening session, ‘organised by Steve Beresford & Evan Parker’, we had the London Improvisers Orchestra ‘performing a (sic) free improvisations and pieces directed by Knut Aufermann, Steve Beresford (featuring Sylvia Hallett), Terry Day, Simon H. Fell, Caroline Kraabel… Dave Tucker and Philipp Wachsmann (featuring strings)’. Names that I have not previously mentioned in respect of this Festival that appeared in this Orchestra were:
Harry Beckett and Roland Ramanan, trumpets, Robert Jarvis and Alan Tomlinson, trombones, Judith Goodman, French Horn, Neil Metcalfe, flute, Jacques Foschia, John Rangecroft, Alex Ward, clarinets, Tom Chant, Adrian Northover, Garry (sic) Todd, saxophones, Nigel Coombes, Marcio Mattos, David Leahy, John Bisset, strings, Orphy Robinson, marimba, Tony Marsh and Louis Moholo, drums. …
Monday (7), … Pauline and I went over to Conway Hall for the afternoon and evening sessions, organised by Matchless. We found present one Chris Trent. …Eddie [Prevost] made some caustic introductory remarks, notably on the unmitigated crassness of the persons employed to dispose of funds available from the Administration for the furtherance of ‘the Arts’. The single criteria – he has also noticed – is ‘numbers’ and their language is that of throat-ripping commercialism. Bark! got us underway – the mannered drums of … Phillip Marks with Rex Casswell and Paul Obermayer. Then Eddie did a solo set on his ‘other’ drum kit. Then he introduced Messrs Yann Charouai, John Lely and Seymour Wright, taking the opportunity to disagree with a recent Wire review of their Matchless release, ‘369’ … The break came … The evening session brought us Eddie with Tom Chant and John Edwards, the latter looking better but still not anywhere near 100%. For me, indifference set in in the central set of the evening. Romuald Wadych with Sandy Kindness, Ross Lambert and Tim Goldie and then in a duo with Estonian soprano saxophonist Denis Dobovtsev. This was offset for me by a brace of gems from John Tilbury and Evan Parker. …
The MATCHLESS (Recordings and Publishing) address is an intriguing one, unconsciously mixing metaphors:
2 Shetlock’s
Cottages
Matching
Tye
Near
Harlow
Essex
CM17 0QR
(Tel: 01279 731517)