US project KONBANWA revolves around composer and musician Rowland Yeargan, and was instigated fairly recently. In 2018 Yeargan invited a good handful of his friends to participate in a live improvisation, and the results of that event is documented on the EP “Live Flaying”, which was released by US label Silber Records towards the end of the same year.
On this performance, Yeargan plays the synthesizer and some percussion instruments, while all the invited guests contributes with percussion instruments of their choice. On this details alone one might surmise that rhythms is something of a key detail for this recording. Which it kind of is, but kind of isn’t either.
The synthesizer kind of sets the mood throughout, at times with ample percussion support one might add. Initially this leads to a bleak, machine like sound dominating the mood and atmosphere, with various mostly expressive rhythm sounds supporting in varying degrees of intensity. The end result is something of an industrial soundscape, as if explored by a free form jazz band consisting of mainly rhythm instrumentalists.
As the performance develops, the drone and synthesizer sounds used combined with the rhythms segues over to more of an otherworldly mood and atmosphere, again rather bleak in character, and with a similar kind of backing from the percussionists. The drums in particular have a massive free spirit to the expressive patterns and movements instigated, and those with a special interest in rhythms and percussion will most likely hear many interesting details on this performance.
To my mind this is music for a defined and limited niche audience however. A certain affection for free form jazz will be needed to enjoy this performance in my opinion, and a certain affection for bleak soundscapes will come in handy. A good performance in the context it does exist within, and probably a nice little gem for the right audience, but ultimately a production with a strict and limited general appeal.
My rating: 40/100
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/konbanwamusic/
https://www.silbermedia.com/
