Sea Legs / Hum Back

A split album with the first ever solo release by American multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily (who has played with artists like guitarist Marc Ribot, singer/songwriter Tom Waits and experimentalist Laurie Anderson), plus a solo euphonium program by Belgian Niels Van Heertum: one side each in the LP version
Ismaily begins the set with a single long track. “Sea Legs” is a stream of consciousness trip, cycling through various instruments. It begins with an acoustic guitar, a slow meditative pattern that gives way to banjo. If anything the banjo section starts out even more meditative, a minimal pattern of single notes punctuated by strummed chords, which then goes into chord melody. Finally a kind of clawhammer technique provides a more traditional banjo sound, followed by a melody with broken chords
A brief shaker interlude has an almost natural sound, like a summer rainstorm. When the banjo returns Ismaily is in a reflective mood, playing guitar-like ornaments. The piece ends with the unearthly sound of heavily reverbed wordless vocals with bowed banjo, a dense slow cloud that stands in contrast with the previous music. The performance fits in very well with the recent banjo focus in Aspen Edities’ releases