two + two
TorQ Percussion Quartet
Bedoint Records BR002 (www.torqpercussion.ca)
“Always complimenting or opposing” is the descriptive phrase that creative percussion quartet TorQ uses to describe the music on their debut recording project, two + two. Produced by TorQ (skilled percussionist/composers Richard Burrows, Adam Campbell, Jamie Drake and Daniel Morphy) and Ray Dillard, the CD is without question a fascinating and intense piece of work. According to TorQ themselves, their project explores harmonic and rhythmic concepts and the contrasting and complex relationships to their polar antithesis, e.g. pitched and un-pitched; tranquil and relentless; simple and complex.
two + two is comprised of five extended works, including the evocative Awakening Fire by Jason Stanford, which utilizes ephemeral vibes and marimbas, the drones of Tibetan meditation bowls and all manner of drums and percussion gizmos to create a primordial sonic landscape – replete with Neolithic thunderstorms. Also of note is the stark Tak-Nara by Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic, and the funky, marimba driven I Call Your Name: Rescue Me (Christos Hatzis), which integrates urbanized spoken word snippets as well as some thrilling auricular cacophonies. Also moving is an ethno-centric version of iconic avant-garde composer John Cage’s opus, Third Construction.
This conceptual, non-linear and visceral music may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it clearly extends beyond a mere auditory experience and into the realm of performance art. I’m sure that we can all look forward to the next magical multi-dimensional presentation from TorQ – highly musical percussive artistry without artifice or gimmicks.
