unPacked
Susanna Hood Trio
ambiences magnetiques AM 278 CD (actuellecd.com/en/accueil)
In certain cases, a collection of music can live multiple lives. One such incarnation is that initial blind exposure, where the listener purely immerses themselves in the way an album sounds, sometimes without even a glance at the artist’s name or album cover. This allows the music to at once have a sense of anonymity to it, but also enables it to create meaning entirely for itself, free from the burden of its association with symbols, description and faces. Another such incarnation exists nearly at the opposite end of the spectrum, which puts the agency for meaning-making in the hands of the listener.
Some projects become more compelling as one gleans more information surrounding its process. unPacked is a prime example of this, as Judith Malina’s words carry even more weight upon realization that they are giving voice to the often text-less compositions of Steve Lacy, as Susanna Hood’s endlessly expressive vocalizations feel even more like they’re touching upon new ways to communicate with the human soul upon discovery of the improvised dance dimension of this work. Hearing “...can be transfii-ii-igured” when you find the extremely thorough Kickstarter campaign for the recording process that details the entire background of the project, which prompts you to return to the original Lacy Packet suite, starting the exploration cycle anew. unPacked, in all its multitudes, is absolutely stunning and warrants the deepest of dives.
