Shadow Phase

Black vinyl. The memory of Jon Hassell lives not only in his own legacy. Many trumpet players adapted a style of playing their instruments that immediately reminiscences his style. It’s almost impossible to listen to Peter Knight‘s Shadow Phase without being reminded of what Hassell has meant for music in general and trumpet playing in particular. ‘Through the simple process of exhalation, I explored my relationship with the trumpet, which has been through so many twists and turns. I let the tones produced by my breath unfurl on long tape loops and degrade beyond recognition through pedal and plugin chains, until the only imprint of the initial gesture remained.’
But with that, we don’t do enough justice to the art of Peter Knight. He’s not simply a Hassell copycat: he’s an artist in his own right, an award-winning composer who has released 12 albums on various labels and who was the Artistic Director of one of Australia’s leading contemporary ensembles: the Australian Art Orchestra. In addition, Shadow Phase is not ‘fourth world music’. In fact, it is hardly classifiable music – it’s ‘a meditation on the nature of connection’, created mainly in 2020’s long winter lockdown. The music was created with his old friend and teacher Ania Walwicz in mind, who sadly passed away in September of that year (Ania’s voice can be heard on the closing of the track A Wordless Song For Ania)
‘Ania’s practice as a writer relied on ‘automatic’ processes. Her work was informed by everything she had read (a lot) but it was created in the manner of dreams. In a state where the subconscious might bubble up and the words arrange themselves into meaning bearing forms that resonate more than represent.’ This approach can be felt all over this album. Honest, heartfelt, mindful