August Light
Richard Carr
Neuma records 208 (richardcarrviolinist.bandcamp.com/album/august-light)
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Standing Stone - Listen on Bandcamp
August Light - Listen on Bandcamp
Vik - Listen on Bandcamp
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Quite a different kind of string quartet came to my attention this month, in the form of a set of collective improvisations by Richard Carr, Caleb Burhans, Clarice Jensen and Carr’s son Ben a.k.a. Carrtoons. August Light (neuma records 208 richardcarrviolinist.bandcamp.com/album/august-light) features a dozen tracks that range in style from ambient to abrasive. Carr is primarily a violinist, but is also heard on piano and, in one instance, electric guitar. Burhans is a violist and Jensen a cellist with Carrtoons adding electric bass on some of the material. The overall mood is contemplative, but as mentioned there are occasional moments of aggression. Play with Fire, with its choppy cello line and raspy upper strings seemed familiar to me, but not in a derivative way. Eventually I figured out that it was reminiscent of the Kronos Quartet version of Purple Haze or perhaps Matt Haimovitz’s cello ensemble playing Kashmir. But as I say, most of the disc is a lot more mellow than that. A favourite is the haunting Vik, bringing to mind the quiet majesty of the black volcanic sand beaches near the fishing village of that name on the south shore of Iceland that I had the pleasure of visiting with my wife a dozen years ago. This is followed by At the Crossroads, another ethereal piece with Carr on piano and the strings gently enhanced with electronics. The disc opens with Standing Stone, featuring plucked strings and overlaid long notes, and seemingly ends in a similar fashion with Standing Stone Reprise almost an hour later. After more than a minute of silence however the actual final track, Desolation is a Railway Station, begins with Carrtoons’ quiet walking bass line, the “heartbeat in this nocturnal jazz noir journey.” Very effective.
