Dreaming in Gamelan
Bill Brennan; Andy McNeill w/Hugh Marsh
Independent (brennanmcneill.bandcamp.com/album/dreaming-in-gamelan)
Traditional West Javanese gamelan sounds are explored in new memorable, soothing soundscapes by Canadian composers/multi-instrumentalists Bill Brennan and Andy McNeill, with electric violinist Hugh Marsh contributing on a few tracks. Brennan’s wide-ranging percussion, piano performance career includes being a member of the Toronto-based Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan. Film/television composer McNeill (bass, electronics, etc.) is also fascinated by the gamelan.
Brennan and McNeill worked together scoring a CBC documentary in 2001 and then decided to record their compositions one week in Brennan’s living room on borrowed Evergreen Club traditional gamelan instruments. After studio mixing and overdubbing, it was put away and untouched for years. A recent Evergreen Club performance at Massey Hall inspired Brennan and McNeill to expand and complete this release.
The first nine short tracks are about three minutes each. Tunnels of Light introduces the listener to diverse ambient sounds, starting with a repeated single note. A form of gong is followed by a repeated gamelan melody. The blending of traditional gamelan with western instrumental and electronic sounds, rhythms, dynamics and textures creates a unified soundscape to single note fade. Title track Dreaming In Gamelan has a calming, reflective repeated melodic start. Attention-grabbing minimalist lines and multi-layering of instruments ground this sparse/gentle to dense/sonic composition. The closing ten-minute Reverie is mysterious and comforting, featuring held notes.
Brennan and McNeill highlight the gamelan with sparse bell tones, ambient jazz, experimental musical styles, electroacoustics, instrumentation, arrangements, improvisations and unexpected effects, producing hypnotic new sounds to relish!
