After the success of playing Seattle’s Crocodile Cafe in 2005, Bill Rieflin reconvened his Slow Music project in May 2006[endtease] for a short tour of America’s West Coast. As on their previous outing, the concept behind the group was simple enough: the music would be entirely improvised, it would take it’s time to explore emergent ideas, avoid the urge to fill in the empty spaces created by such an approach, and as Bill put it in an interview at the time, “you also have to pace yourself, so that you don’t shoot your wad in the first few minutes.”
The initial caution in the first of two sets here mirrors Rieflin’s instructions. The group – and this really is the sound of a group – make careful and considered contributions. The air is ultimately reflective, governed by short interactions wherein motifs are picked up and passed around for inspection, modification and incorporation into the bigger picture.
The second set’s percussive explorations and occasional jolts have a more forceful mood, which allows REM’s Peter Buck to soar away on some old-school glissando guitar. Though the overall mood created by this electro-acoustic hybrid may be sedate, don’t be fooled into thinking that it lacks intensity or drama. The combination of a group in search of their collective muse ably supported by an extremely attentive audience means that there are plenty of sparks flying by to intrigue and maintain interest.Stunning.
